Climate Smart Farming Systems

Background

This project focuses on improving sustainable and resilient land management practices for new farmers and improving sustainable production and climate resilience for dryland grazers in southern Tasmania through two distinct programs.

Property Planning Program

This program is delivering a dedicated property planning program that builds on NRM South’s highly successful Property Management Planning project that ran from 2012-2018 in the Huon Valley and Channel region. 

Small farms are popular in Tasmania’s south-east. Property planning is essential for all new landholders, and for those wishing to change the way they manage their property and better understand how to work with the land, reduce impacts and also connect with other small producers in their region. Small farms have different needs to larger properties and the program is designed for small properties typically ranging in size from 5 – 100 hectares.  

Property Management Planning is a process for developing and documenting the visions and goals for a property, with a focus on natural resources. Through this project stream, we will be delivering workshops to landholders in the Huon Valley, Coal Valley and Kingborough municipalities that take a practical, ‘hands -on’ approach. Our workshops will call on industry experts to present on a range of topics such as: soil health, orchard and grazing management, native vegetation, browsing mammals and how to improve biodiversity values. Over the course of the workshops, participants will develop a Property Management Plan with support and guidance from the project team.  

Our property planning program has been developed in response to requests from the small producer community to increase knowledge of sustainable land management practices for individuals new to farming or the region. This program is supporting decision-making to improve practices that enhance ecological functions and safeguard soil, biosecurity, and landscape health.  

Dryland Grazing Program

Our Dryland Grazing Program is supporting primary producers in key sheep grazing regions across the south. This program has been developed in response to interest from grazing communities in the Derwent Catchment, Southern Midlands, Coal Valley, and East Coast, and is facilitating communities of practice that improve landscape health, resilience and sustainable production, primarily focused on the role of pasture in production, ground cover, and soil health.  

In collaboration with the Derwent Catchment Project, the Dryland Grazing Project is continuing to work closely with primary producers across our key wool and red meat growing regions. This production area accounts for 86% of agricultural land use in southern Tasmania. This program builds on previous investment delivered through our 2019-2023 Derwent  Pasture Information Network Project, with a focus on expanding this successful project into other regions. 

This program offers an annual dryland pasture management course that is being delivered to graziers by the Derwent Catchment Project. Local technical experts will facilitate the program along with demonstration sites that will support producers in improving the management of their grazing systems to protect and improve ground cover and support long-term resilience in the face of climate change. Insights from this program will be shared with program participants through a community of practice, field days and workshops and with the wider agricultural community through communication materials such as case studies. 

Communication and extension

Tailored extension activities and communication materials are being developed across both programs that have been designed to boost producers’ confidence in trying and implementing management practices, tools and technology to safeguard sustainable production and landscape health. These materials and extension activities include:

• Workshops and field days 

• Individual farm planning maps  

• Soil testing and weed distribution surveys  

• Demonstrated farmer-led learning activities 
  

• An online farm planning booklet   

• Factsheets and case studies  

• Videos and podcasts