Farming and Community Group Drought Funding

What is the Farming and Community Group Drought Funding?

The Farming and Community Group Drought Funding Program, delivered by Agriculture Victoria under the Victorian Government Drought Support Program, is a grant that will enable farmers to better prepare, respond and build resilience to drought and dry seasonal conditions.

Background

The Farming and Community Group Drought Funding Program is open to Landcare and land management groups, industry groups, farming systems groups, farming discussion groups and not for profit and community organisations in Victoria.

Groups will be able to engage technical experts and/or specialists to deliver timely, relevant and appropriate technical information to assist dryland and irrigated farm businesses and landholders to plan or manage the impacts of drought and dry seasonal conditions. Preference will be given to projects that are in Wellington or East Gippsland shires, far North-West Victoria (Millewa and surrounds) and the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID).

Objectives

The Program will:

Identify technical knowledge or capability gaps relating to drought and dry seasonal conditions
Increase and strengthen farmers’ technical knowledge and capability, enabling farm businesses and landholders to be more prepared and responsive to drought and dry seasonal conditions
Encourage farm business and landholders to share and collaborate, thereby increasing skills knowledge and capacity, preparedness and responsiveness to drought and dry seasonal conditions.

Funding

Grants of up to $25,000 (excluding GST) are available to engage technical experts and/or specialists to provide relevant and appropriate technical advice, information and support to a group of farmers or landholders to help them prepare for, respond to and manage drought and dry seasonal conditions.

Eligible Projects

Projects can include, but not limited to the following technical themes:

Irrigation and water
Livestock management, including animal nutrition, health, feed and water budgeting
Crop, pasture and grazing establishment and management
Land and soil management
Stock containment area use and management
Whole farm and business planning
Climate adaptation
Other targeted themes will be considered on a case by case basis

Grant funding must clearly align with the objectives of the program and may be used for the following:

Fee for service of technical experts, facilitators, presenters and speakers who will provide sound and evidence-based technical advice at activities
Expenses associated with the evaluation and reporting of the funded activity(ies) such as data on activity, number of attendees, outputs, outcomes and learnings
Travel expenses for the technical expert which adhere with the Australian Taxation Office business allowances
Activity operating costs (for example group bus and venue hire, planning and running costs).
- Venue hire and catering costs (excluding alcohol) will be capped at $2000 per application
- Event promotion and advertising will be capped at $1500 per application

Note: Recipients will be reimbursed for actual project costs upon the provision of itemised invoices.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible Victorian groups include:

Landcare and land management groups (for example, Landcare Network)
farmer discussion and producer groups
Not for profit and community organisations (including incorporated bodies, cooperatives or associations, (for example, agribusiness groups, development associations).

Note: Individual farm businesses, landholders, service providers and consultants are encouraged to contact and collaborate with their local group or network in development and submission of an application by an eligible group.

Applications are encouraged from across Victoria however preference will be given to projects in the Wellington and East Gippsland shires, in far North-West Victoria (Millewa and surrounding areas) and the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID).

In order to apply, applicants must:

Have a current Australian Business Number (ABN)
Be registered as a business in Victoria
Have a Victorian business address
Be a legal entity
Meet all industrial relation obligations as an employer in accordance with the National Employment Standards
If applicable, projects that have received (or are approved to receive) funding from a third-party funding source to support activity(ies) must provide details in writing
Provide relevant business information on the project, including costs
Declare freedom from any conflicts of interest by the applicant and/or service provider in writing

Timing

Applications close 1 April 2020.

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