This project developed a practical drought preparedness framework to help livestock producers in southern Australia’s medium to high rainfall zones better prepare for future droughts. Drawing on producer experience, industry consultation and research across South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia, the project identified practical strategies that improve water-use efficiency, feedbase resilience, business decision-making and farmer wellbeing before drought conditions occur.
The project produced an Integrated Drought Preparedness and Resilience Framework, providing a roadmap for future research, extension and on-farm adoption across southern Australia’s livestock industries.
Project description:
Key achievements and results:
Rather than producing a single extension resource, this project developed a practical framework to guide future drought preparedness across medium to high rainfall livestock regions. Consultation across South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia identified common challenges, existing knowledge gaps and practical opportunities to improve preparedness before drought occurs.
A consistent finding across all regions was that businesses with objective, pre-planned drought management strategies are better positioned to respond early, protect productivity and reduce the financial and emotional impacts of prolonged dry seasons. The project also reinforced that drought preparedness extends beyond production decisions to include farmer wellbeing, natural capital and long-term business planning.
Key outcomes included:
- Developed an Integrated Drought Preparedness and Resilience Framework built around five interconnected modules covering decision-making, livestock and feedbase management, AgTech, and natural capital.
- Identified formal property drought plans with clear production, environmental and financial trigger points as one of the highest priorities for improving drought preparedness and reducing reactive decision-making.
- Highlighted practical management strategies that can be adopted immediately, including soil moisture monitoring, feed budgeting, containment feeding, dual-purpose forage systems and regular peer discussion groups to support better seasonal decision-making.
- Identified future research priorities across pasture systems, livestock nutrition, AgTech, natural capital and farmer wellbeing, providing a roadmap for future investment and collaborative research.
- Established a co-designed framework that can underpin future extension programs and research projects across southern Australia’s medium to high rainfall livestock regions, ensuring future activities address producer priorities and improve whole-farm drought resilience.