Successful funding announcement-Creating climate smart communities project.

The Bass Coast Landcare Network in partnership with Western Port Catchment Landcare Network and South Gippsland Landcare Network are pleased to announce the successful funding of a new multiyear project, the Creating Climate Smart Communities project, supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.

This exciting new project commenced in late 2024 and is funding a range of exciting regional initiatives through to April 2028.  With a strong focus on agricultural adaptation and resilience in the face of a changing climate this project will deliver a series of awareness, education, and capacity building activities targeting farmers, First Nations peoples and landcare members. These activities will increase awareness, knowledge, and skills related to best practice climate-smart sustainable agriculture, and include:
1) A series of peer-to-peer mentoring discussion group events enabling local communities of practice for people to support each other, learn together, and adopt new practices.

2) As series of regenerative agriculture training programs to assist farmers to become more adaptive and resilient.

3) A co-designed regenerative farming training program to increase the skills and awareness of the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporations Tarbuk Biik (strong country) Team.  The delivery will directly increase the capacity of Traditional Owners to assist landholders to adopt and implement climate smart farming practices.

4) A series of field days with professional and experienced speakers, enabling the farming community to be informed of new and emerging topics relevant to Climate Smart Agriculture.

5) A biofertilser coaching program which is an innovative pilot training & mentoring program designed to help farmers reduce their reliance on imported high emissions intensity inputs.

This exciting project will be run in the Bass Coast Landcare Network, Western Port Catchment Landcare Network and South Gippsland Landcare Network geographic areas.  Farm based learning programs such as field days, mentoring programs and peer to peer farm walks are an integral part of the Creating Climate Smart Communities project.  Engaging farmers regionally will strengthen the learnings and adoption of new practices at scale.  The project is focused on learning through peer-to-peer mentoring groups and the development of community leaders.  These community leaders, through their own interactions in their farming community, will pass on their knowledge and skills and engage many more farmers.

For further information on this project email [email protected]
 
This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.