Farmers, fishers and foresters can now apply for Australian Government funding of up to $100,000 to support their natural resource management efforts.

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said applications for Round 4 of Smart Farms Small Grants were now open.

“This is a hugely popular program that provides a real bang for buck when it comes to delivering benefits for farms, the environment and local communities,” Minister Littleproud said.

“Aussie farmers not only produce the best food and fibre in the world, but they are also our greatest environmentalists.

“Our farmers have always looked after the land and through these grants we can give them a helping hand to adopt the next generation of sustainable farming practices.

“There is $6.5 million available under this round of Smart Farms Small Grants to support one- to two-year projects that boost best practice sustainable farming awareness, skills and capacity.

“We’re looking for projects across a range of areas such as pest control, vegetation management, farm input efficiency, climate and market management, and the use of new technologies.”

“Previous rounds of this program have delivered benefits across the length and breadth of the country— from Indigenous fishers and aquaculturalists in Cape York to pistachio growers in Robinvale, Victoria. I want to continue that trend and get innovative practices out on the ground and delivering real benefits to our farmers.”

Smart Farms Small Grants is a sustainable agriculture element of the National Landcare Program (NLP).

The Australian Government is investing more than $1 billion towards the second phase of the NLP from 2018-2023.

For more information and to apply, visit the Community Grants Hub https://www.communitygrants.gov.au/grants