On 22 January 2025, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry released the Future Drought Fund Investment Strategy – the first for the fund. The Strategy is a roadmap for building drought resilient farms, landscapes and communities and tells stakeholders how they can engage with drought resilience programs and activities.
The Strategy supports the Drought Resilience Funding Plan which came into effect on 9 February 2024 and outlines the rules within which the Fund must operate.
The Funding Plan and Investment Strategy were informed by stakeholder feedback, the independent FDF Consultative Committee, and recent Productivity Commission Inquiry Report. The strategy includes a long-term plan that focuses on high-impact programs designed to meet local needs including through strong partnerships and covers 5 priority funding areas:
1) Partnering for local solutions
2) Partnering for First Nations initiatives
3) Building knowledge, skills and capability
4) Innovating for transformation
5) Measuring progress and knowledge sharing
The strategy provides information on how stakeholders can engage with the programs, timing for funding rounds and how the FDF links with other funding programs and government initiatives.
The full Investment Strategy can be read here.