Seeking expressions of interest for on-farm agave variety trials
Background
Funding has been secured as part of the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund program to investigate the potential for agave as a low or no irrigation crop in Central Australia and Katherine. The funding has been awarded under the National Resource Management (NRM) Drought Resilience Program – Grants. The trial will take place on Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (the department) research farms between Katherine and Central Australia, looking at the performance of agave in these regions. This project is looking to build resilience in growers in these regions through diversification into low or no irrigation crops.
Overview of the trial
The department is looking for commercial growers interested in participating. The trial will be looking at the suitability of agave as a crop for the Katherine and Central Australian regions.
Participating growers will be supplied with 30 free plants (approximately 20m2 under cultivation) to trial on-farm.
Agave takes 6-8 years to grow to maturity, during that time researchers will assess the growth of the plants and collect data on their performance.
How do I secure a place?
The EOI is open for a limited number of growers. To participate:
- you must be a commercial grower from the Katherine or Central Australia region
- you must be willing to allow the Department to collect information on the agave plants
- all information collected as part of the project will be openly available to the public.
If you are interested in participating in this trial on farm, please contact Chelsea.moore@nt.gov.au by Friday, 1 October 2021.
For more information about the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, visit their website: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/future-drought-fund