South West WA drought resilience course teaching farmers what they need in their agricultural toolkit

A five-part professional development series aimed at strengthening agricultural understanding is being run by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub next month. Throughout May, the Extension and Adoption Training Program will offer about 18 hours of training delivered by experienced staff from the SW WA Hub, and will run both in person in Perth and online. SW WA Hub director Dr Jo Wisdom said the program would help experienced farmers and growers, as well as people new to the industry. “Effective extension is key for turning research into real-world practice,” she said. “It helps farmers gain the knowledge and confidence to adopt innovations that improve farm productivity, sustainability, and climate resilience. “Participants will walk away with practical tools to define project priorities, develop extension and event plans, sharpen facilitation techniques, and build basic monitoring and evaluation frameworks.” SW WA Hub partners and Grower Group Alliance members will receive $75 tickets for the in-person event and $40 online tickets, and non-members can secure tickets for $160 and $80 for the respective programs. The face-to-face program runs on May 8 and 9, while online modules will run on May 15, 21, and 28.