Preparing for What Comes Next: The Next Phase of Drought Resilience Planning

The Regional Drought Resilience Planning Program is moving into its next phase, with local knowledge continuing to guide what happens next. As the team prepares for a range of seasonal scenarios, farmers, businesses and communities are being encouraged to share what they are seeing, what is working and where support is needed.

With the development of El Niño, the team is working on two sets of projects for funding and implementation. One is designed for a drier scenario should rainfall decrease, while the second is ready should we receive rain over the coming months. This approach gives us the flexibility to adapt and deliver what is needed, in the right place, at the right time.

With weather predictions for the months ahead still uncertain, we continue to monitor conditions to ensure we are ready for any eventuality.

We're also continuing to engage with communities and stakeholders across the Mary and Burnett regions to better understand what's happening on the ground. An upcoming body of work will explore the different indicators used by people, governments and agencies to determine the likelihood and severity of drought, and how well those measures reflect local conditions. We don't know what we don't know, which is why we're conducting local interviews to better understand what works, what doesn't and what we're missing.

As part of our commitment to local engagement, the team has been working hard to translate the university speak in our plans into plain English. We want people to clearly understand what we're planning to do, why we're doing it, how it will be delivered and, most importantly, what they'll see happening on the ground. Much of this work is being delivered through partnerships with other organisations, and this simpler approach gives everyone a clearer picture of the actions being shaped by local people, for local communities. What began as an academic exercise a few years ago is now becoming practical work, delivered through partnerships and driven by local knowledge.

That plain-speaking approach was on display at the recent Ag Horizons event in Kingaroy. Since then, we've continued working with growers and processors to better understand the challenges facing the peanut industry and its decline in recent years. It has become a powerful reminder of how quickly external market forces can impact an industry, and the lessons learned should serve as a warning for other agricultural sectors.

While the industry remains hopeful of a recovery, it will take cooperation and support across the entire supply chain, including supermarkets and both State and Federal governments, to help it rebuild.

It's a busy few months ahead for the team. We're putting the finishing touches on a special community event under the stars in August, before heading to Bundaberg as a major sponsor of Agrotrend and the BFVG Gala Dinner in September. We'll then head to Canberra to continue advocating for the needs of the Wide Bay Burnett and sharing why it's one of the best places in Australia to live, work and do business.

Tell Us What We Are Missing