Byron Shire Council's Regenerative Agriculture Small Grants Program is back for 2025-2026, giving local landowners and producers an opportunity to receive a grant of up to $3,500.

Mark Duncan, Byron Shire Council’s Agricultural Extension Officer, said that the aim of the 2025-2026  Regenerative Agriculture Small Grants Program was to encourage and support regenerative land management practices while also improving on-farm productivity.

“Projects that increase the land's capacity to produce more crops and improve biodiversity, such as implementing composting systems, is just one example of a project that could be considered,” he said.

“The grant provides not just a financial boost to kick start regenerative practices but also gives successful applicants a chance to later showcase the outcomes of their projects. This may inspire and encourage more landowners to adopt similar practices, making Byron Shire farms more sustainable, resilient and biodiverse,” he said. 

Projects selected for the 2024-2025 program included funding towards:

• Electric fencing and water infrastructure to facilitate rotational high-density grazing to improve soil carbon.
• Beneficial insect releases to support a productive and environmentally friendly approach to pest management in a macadamia orchard.
• Implementation and assessment of biological treatments to improve soil health and seedling root establishment in a syntropic market garden.
• Setting up a worm farm to compost waste.

If you are a primary producer, market gardener or small-scale farmer, and are interested in applying, please visit Byron Shire Council’s website to apply. Applications close Friday, 3 October. 

Successful grant recipients will be notified in early December.