Australia’s Recovery from Drought

As the world prepares for a feast this Christmas, it is necessary to spare a thought for the hard slog a farmer goes through to get food onto the plate. Whether it’s a bushfire, flood, drought, or workforce challenges, growing food takes dedication and commitment. Australia may be in a La Nina weather pattern at the moment, but droughts are a fact of life in Australia and as surely night follows day, drought will return.

Farmers in Australia are some of the world’s most resilient when it comes to managing extended periods of drought and for being some of the most innovative in the world too. To boost the longevity and strength of Queensland horticulture, Growcom is working with government bodies, industry service providers and natural resource management groups to enhance farm business outcomes, through the Farm Business Resilience Program. At Growcom, this program will be known as Hort360 – Drought.

Growcom’s Hort360 – Drought program will support farmers to prepare for, manage and recover from drought, with access to subsidised learning and development opportunities in strategic business management, farm risk management and decision-making, natural resource management, and personal and social resilience.

The program, to be rolled out across Queensland, is supported and funded by the Federal Department of Agriculture Water and Environment, through the Future Drought Fund and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Farmers know best how to grow food that Australians enjoy year-round and they do a top-notch job. We are excited to get the ball rolling and will utilise our Best Management Practice program, Hort360, to assist growers to identify gaps in their management systems.

Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech)