$2.1M in drought resilience grants for Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences

A woman wearing glasses stands in a greenhouse, behind some seedlings in boxes
Dr Dorin Gupta has been awarded a drought resilience grant worth $2M, with other FVAS faculty members receiving a $100,000 capacity building grant. Image: University of Melbourne

Dr Dorin Gupta has been awarded a major Australian Government Innovation Grant of just under $2 million for a drought resilience project to be completed at the Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub based at the University of Melbourne's Dookie Campus.

Through an inclusive approach that incorporates individual proven practices into diversified farming systems, Dr Gupta’s project 'Whole-system Redesign of Broadacre Farming of Southeast Australia’ looks to redesign the whole system of broad acre farming in southeastern Australia.

Dr Gupta said the system would help the agricultural industry plan for, cope with, and recover from drought.

“This project will demonstrate how pulses can be used as an integral part of crop rotations in grains and graze, and grain farming systems where farm resilience is further enhanced by incorporating native crops and grasses,” Dr Gupta said.

Alongside collaborators from within the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences (FVAS), several Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub partners from the region will be involved in the project, including Birchip Cropping Group and Riverine Plains farming groups. Other project partners include Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, Black Duck Foods and Gap Flat Track Native Foods.

Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud announced the grant during a visit to the Dookie Campus on 2 March accompanied by the local Member for Nichols Damian Drum.

He also announced a complimentary $109,000 proof-of-concept grant for another FVAS project, ‘Building Capacity for Community-led Drought Resilience Action’, to be led by Dr Margaret Ayre, Professor Ruth Nettle and former faculty member Dr Jana Paschen.

FVAS Dean Professor John Fazakerley said the announcements were great examples of the relevance and value of the Dookie Campus.

“Minister Littleproud was clear that this funding was only available to organisations with a strong regional footprint,” Professor Fazakerley said.

“These projects will bring together the agricultural expertise that makes the University of Melbourne the leading university for agricultural research and teaching in Victoria, with regional partners to create great outcomes for agriculture in Victoria.”

Dr Gupta's project, and the Drought Hub based at the Dookie Campus, are funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.