Orchard Resilience Project

Tasmania’s orchard industry is a high-value sector that plays a vital role in regional communities.

Over the next two years, we will be working with Soils for Life, supporting orchardists in Tasmania to build more resilient farming systems. Working closely with growers and industry, the project focuses on practical, on-farm learning that builds confidence and supports informed decision-making.

At the centre of the project are demonstration orchard sites, where growers are already implementing climate-smart and regenerative practices. These sites will offer farmers an opportunity to explore a safe-to-fail trial, collect useful insights, and learn from the results alongside other growers.

Our Approach

This project takes a farmer-led, collaborative approach, placing value on local knowledge, experience and peer-to-peer learning. The focus is not on research trials, but on real-world application, helping growers understand what works in their system and why.

Key activities include:

Establishing orchard demonstration sites, working with a growers implementing climate-smart practices;
Supporting monitoring and data collection across soil, production and financial performance at the demonstration sites;
Delivering field days to showcase practices, share insights, and build practical skills;
Facilitating a peer learning program, connecting growers to share experiences and learn from one another, and;
Developing communication materials to share learnings more broadly.

PROJECT PILLARS

HELPFUL LINKS

Soils For Life Orchard Resilience Project

Background

Tasmania’s orchard industry is a high-value sector that plays a vital role in regional communities. The revenue from cherries, berries and other fruit brings in over $220 million to the state and Tasmania is recognised internationally for the high quality of our orchard produce.

However, growers are facing increasing challenges associated with climate variability, including frost risk, water availability, and maintaining soil health.

The Orchard Resilience Project is part of a broader national initiative led by Soils for Life, supporting orchardists across Australia to build resilience through improved management practices and stronger knowledge networks.

Demonstration sites are a key component of the project, providing growers with additional support for monitoring, data collection and analysis. This helps farmers better understand the ecological and economic impacts of their practices and supports more informed decision-making over time.

The project builds on and complements existing industry efforts, ensuring that activities add value to what is already happening on-farm and within the sector.