To develop a Limestone Coast Drought Resilience Plan (the Plan) for the region’s primary production sector, supply chain and associated services. Both the plan, and the planning process will build resilience to the impacts and opportunities of drought and other significant events.

The plan will have an adaptive, pathways approach that will be the foundation for community conversations, and guide tangible projects to prepare for drought and other significant events. The plan will be a succinct document that meets the requirements of the Australian Government, with evidence-based strategies to work towards a safer, more resilient region.

The Australian Government’s approach to drought focuses on preparedness, sustainability, resilience and risk management for farmers, businesses, landscapes, and communities. Drought occurs in a cycle, with three stages: preparing for, responding to, and recovering from drought. Preparedness and building system wide resilience has been identified as the key to mitigating the impacts of drought and climate change, and enabling those affected to respond better. The Australian Government is seeking to develop and implement Drought Resilience Plans across the nation, with funding from the Future Drought Fund.

In South Australia, these projects are administered by the Department for Primary Industries and Regions. One of the conditions of funding is endorsement by the CSIRO as an Independent Reviewer. An Independent Review Guide has been developed, outlining nine components that are required for the Plan to be accepted. The components are:

Component 1 – Definitions, vision, goals, outcomes

Component 2 – Stakeholder engagement, participation and partnerships

Component 3 – Active learning and adaptive governance

Component 4 – Evidence base, a stocktake of past and current relevant work & alignment

Component 5 – System description & resilience assessment

Component 6 – Future scenarios

Component 7 – Intervention options & pathways for building regional resilience

Component 8 – Assessment of pathways & theory of change for recommended actions

Component 9 – Monitoring, evaluation & learning

The strategic objective for the Plan is to consider the economic, environmental, and social factors in building drought resilience. No single aspect of this approach is more or less important than the other, and people are central to all of them. A key element of the Plan is to collaborate and consult widely with the Limestone Coast communities to achieve community ownership and empowerment from the Plan.

For the Limestone Coast, a co-design approach has been developed that engages three major stakeholders. The project lead is Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast (RDALC), who are responsible for project management, reporting and grant administration. The Limestone Coast Local Government Association (LCLGA) is a project partner, providing strategic guidance, connection to councils and their communities. The Limestone Coast Landscape Board (LCLB) is also a key partner, with strong connections to primary industries, they will offer strategic input, as well as practical advice for the project.

Note: the following in-kind contributions from project partners are available:

1. Access to reliable, evidence-based information and research outputs to assist with the development of the plan. This could include social research, climate data and examples from other communities to encourage shared learning will be provided by the Australian Government and SA Department of Primary Industries and Regions, primarily through the SA Drought Hub.
2. Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast will provide communication and marketing support throughout the process including layout for communication documents, preparation of short videos for social media and preparation of media releases.
3. RDALC will also collect all stakeholder and participant demographics and data to support the monitoring and evaluation required for the project.
4. Limestone Coast Landscape Board will provide support for the facilitators to actively engage with the primary production sector at a grass-roots and industry group level.

The Limestone Coast is uniquely placed to respond to drought, not only within our region, but to capitalize on the opportunities that arise from drought in other regions. For instance, the relocation of Goyder’s Line in the north of SA increases opportunities for diversification in our more southern region. The Plan will identify these opportunities, as well as highlight the policy and practical requirements to ensure that the values of the Limestone Coast are maintained into the future.