Healthy Farming Futures: Innovation in Action

Good land condition is not only important for our native wildlife and vegetation, but is a critical asset in any grazing business. Erosion, weeds, feral pests, over-grazing and intense wildfires can all impact on pasture quality. 

The Healthy Farming Futures project supports farmers and graziers into the future by providing up-to-date information through regional workshops and field days that will help them protect soil, biodiversity and vegetation and improve the resilience, sustainability and provenance of their land to meet the future challenges of climate change and market demands.

The program is funded by the Regional Land Partnerships, part of the National Landcare Program. HFF addresses two outcomes of the Regional Land Partnerships Program:

1. By 2023, there is an increase in the awareness and adoption of land management practices that improve and protect the condition of soil, biodiversity and vegetation.
2. By 2023, there is an increase in the capacity of agriculture systems to adapt to significant changes in climate and market demands for information on provenance and sustainable production.

The program has been in operation since 2018 and continues until 2023. 

The program has delivered a long list of services to land managers in western draining catchments of Cape York. These include:

• 13 property specific action plans
• ABCD management practice assessments
• Land condition monitoring across Cape York Peninsula
• One-on-one technical advice
• On-ground remediation works
• Coordinated land management programs, including supporting the Cape York Coordinated Aerial Burning program
• The annual Cape York Grazing Forum
• Horticulture Roundtable events
• Training, workshops and field days covering topics such as erosion control and road design, pasture management, soil testing and analysis, and business management