Southern Queensland Northern NSW Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub

The University of Newcastle is partnering with the University of Southern Queensland to support farmers and communities to get ready for drought.

As part of the Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment (DAWE) Drought Resilience Research and Adoption Program, eight dedicated Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs have been established around Australia to connect farmers with regional agricultural experts, innovation and new practices.

The SQNNSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub has designed activities in collaboration with famers to meet local needs. Examples include:

  • on-farm trials of transformational technologies and practices
  • training farmers in the use of decision-support tools
  • upskilling farmers in innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialisation.

The Australian Government has contributed $10 million over 4 years through the Future Drought Fund with partner co-investment of $10.8 million over 4 years.

Project: Co-developing an online wellbeing and employability toolkit for rural communities impacted by drought

This project, conducted by the Centre for Water, Climate and Land (CWCL) in collaboration with USQ, is reducing the stigma about mental health problems and overcoming barriers to seeking professional help. Utilising effective communication channels, it will help farmers, rural residents, and support workers to identify and address the effects of drought-related stress. Specifically, the project will involve translation of existing work and co-design of new content to develop an online drought resilience wellbeing toolkit including an online open access, no-fee platform, and specific content. Key to the success of this program will be the localised support enabled via the SQNNSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub.