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$50m to Help Land Managers Farm Smarter

Wednesday 01st November
Posted in: 
Sustainable Agriculture

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, called for applications for the competitive $50 million Smart Farms Small Grants, through the National Landcare Program, which opened on 24 October 2017. The National Landcare Program’s new Smart Farms Small Grants is available for farmers, fishers, community and industry groups to apply for grants of between $5,000 and $100,000 to assist them to protect and improve the condition of soil, vegetation and biodiversity and support agricultural systems to adapt to change.

“Our farmers take immense pride in managing their land to ensure they can pass on productive and healthy land to the next generation of farmers,” Minister Joyce said. “Significant technological advances are taking place in land management and the Smart Farms Small Grants will provide grant funding to develop and extend new tools, methods and technology for farmers to continue to be at the forefront of land management.

Under the program these grants will:

  • protect and improve the condition of natural resources (in particular soils and vegetation and biodiversity)
  • increase land managers’ awareness, knowledge, capability and adoption of tools and management practices that will deliver productive and profitable agriculture, fishing, aquaculture and farm forestry industries
  • protect Australia’s biodiversity assist Australia to meet its obligations under relevant international treaties.

 

Fast facts

  • The Coalition Government is investing more than $1 billion for the next phase of the National Landcare Program.
  • In Australia, there are around 5400 Landcare groups and 100,000 active volunteers in those groups.
  • Over 80 per cent of Australian farmers are involved in Landcare.

 

See links below. Call for applications close 2:00pm AEDT 7 December 2017.

Grant Connect
https://www.grants.gov.au/?event=public.GO.show&GOUUID=91F42211-B949-D84...

Community Grants Hub
https://www.communitygrants.gov.au/grants/national-landcare-program-smar...

Final documents can be downloaded from the websites.