Farmers saving the Reef
Farming businesses in the Wet Tropics have invested more than $37 million to reduce sediment, nutrient and pesticide run-off to the Great Barrier Reef. South Johnstone cane grower Vic Guarrera (above) said Reef Rescue grants, funded by the Australian Government, enabled him to improve water quality leaving his farm. “We would not have been able to make these capital investments without the government’s 50 per cent matched contribution,” he said.
NEW figures show farming businesses in the Wet Tropics region have invested more than $37 million to reduce sediment, nutrient and pesticide run-off to the Great Barrier Reef.
More than the Australian Government had matched ($28.1 million) between 2008 and 2016 as part of the Reef Rescue grants to support changes in farming practices.
The program was designed to leverage investment by asking farming businesses to match grant funding from their own pockets and the results show farmers invested $1.32 for every $1 they received.
More than 900 farming businesses collectively contributed $37.1 million over eight years, bringing the total investment of government and farmers to more than $65 million.
Terrain Natural Resource Management chief executive Carole Sweatman said the $37.1 million spent by the region’s farmers enabled the program to achieve much greater impact
“And farmers are continuing to invest,” she said.
“The Reef Rescue grants meant that cost was no longer a barrier to change for many farmers.
“The results show the grants increased the chances of farmers achieving practice change by up to 27 times compared to the baseline of voluntary change.
“As a consequence, 80 per cent of the Wet Tropics agricultural production land area received funding.”
South Johnstone cane grower Vic Guarrera said the Reef Rescue grants enabled him to complete three projects to improve water quality leaving his farm.
“We were able to buy equipment to control erosion on the farm, minimise spray drift with a shielded sprayer and apply fertiliser more sparingly with a rate controller,’’ he said.
“We would not have been able to make these capital investments without the government’s 50 per cent matched contribution.”
Ms Sweatman said another key lesson coming out of the Reef Rescue program was the importance of cross-industry partnerships.
“Prior to Reef Rescue, the many organisations providing best-management practice advice to farmers in the Wet Tropics area worked independently with no integration, which made the job of delivering these programs very challenging,” she said.
“Terrain NRM worked closely with more than 20 organisations to establish a new partnership model to deliver the program and this has been the foundation for other successful collaborative efforts in the region.”
Wet Tropics Sugar Industry Partnership (WTSIP) chairman Joe Marano said involving all industry stakeholders in the delivery of Reef programs was critical to their success.
WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THESE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS WITHOUT THE GOVERNMENT’S 50 PER CENT MATCHED CONTRIBUTION VIC GUARRERA, CANE FARMER