COMMUNITY
BACKING OUR FARMERS
$5.8m raised for Drought Action Day, 25% more than last year’s total of $4.7m.
Fresh food is our business and we have made it our mission to partner with the very best farmers and growers in Australia. At Woolworths, 100% of our fresh meat is sourced from Australian producers and 95% of our fresh fruit and vegetables are grown and farmed in Australia.
We rely on Australian farmers to supply us with the fresh food we sell, so it is only fitting that we support our farmers, especially during times of drought.
Drought Action Day
Woolworths partners with the Country Women’s Association (CWA) and Landcare Australia through National Drought Action Day – where all Woolworths and Safeway stores across Australia donate a full day’s profits to support drought affected communities.
Drought Action Day aims to raise awareness within the broader Australian community of the continuing plight of families still suffering due to the prolonged drought. In 2008 we raised $5.856 million, 25% more than last year’s total of $4.7 million. Two thirds of the funds raised were distributed through the CWA to families needing assistance with basic household expenses and one third was used to fund sustainable farming programs through Landcare.
From the two Drought Action Days held, over $3.45 million has been donated to Landcare. These funds are distributed by Landcare through Woolworths’ Sustainable Farming Program to help Australian farmers overcome the impacts of the drought, develop sustainable farming systems and be better prepared for the impacts of climate change.
From the funds raised through Woolworths’ Drought Action Day in 2007, $1.5 million went to Landcare to implement sustainable farming projects including:
- Six major regional projects in south east Queensland, Liverpool Plains (New South Wales), Murrumbidgee (New South Wales), northern agricultural catchments (Western Australia), South Australia and Tasmania.
- 25 smaller projects clustered around the major regional projects listed above.
- 20 farmer innovation projects awarded through a grants application process.
The Drought Action Day held in February 2008 raised $5.856 million, with the next project funding under development. We are still in the process of working with Landcare to develop the next round of projects that will receive funding.
Funds raised from 2007 Drought Action Day – major projects
Area: New South Wales, Namoi catchment/Liverpool Plains
Project: Addressing land degradation in the Rangari Tops to improve landholder resilience to drought.
Area: Queensland, south east
Project: Improving sustainable management of stock and pastures in drought stressed catchments of south east Queensland.
Area: Western Australia, northern agricultural catchments
Project: Overcoming drought stress in mixed farming communities of the northern agricultural catchments of Western Australia.
Area: Tasmania, midlands
Project: Supporting farmers in the midlands of Tasmania to change on-farm practices to adapt to the changing climatic and farming conditions.
Area: New South Wales, Murrumbidgee
Project: Improving drought management in cropping and grazing enterprises in the Murrumbidgee catchment.
Area: South Australia, Eyre Peninsula
Project: Protecting livestock during drought.
Case Study
Protecting livestock during drought
Area: South Australia,
Eyre Peninsula
The project was launched in Port Lincoln in April, with a display of working dogs in action at the Woolworths car park in the heart of Port Lincoln that drew an enthusiastic crowd of over 200.
Woolworths has provided $165,000 from the Sustainable Agriculture Program with Landcare Australia, and the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board has contributed $140,000.
More than 80 farmers across the Eyre Peninsula, from Cleve to Ceduna to Port Lincoln, have now received grants of $1,000 each to help them set up containment feed lots. These enable the farmers to maintain their core sheep breeding flocks through the drought period while protecting paddocks from risk of erosion.
A further 20 producers are being assisted to set up demonstration paddocks on their properties, to show how using the latest portable electric fencing technology and other infrastructure can make better use of limited paddock feed. The sites were chosen to broadly represent the different soil types, rainfall areas and mix of enterprises across Eyre Peninsula.
Planning is under way for establishing the field trials researching the types of fodder crops suitable to grow on Eyre Peninsula to take advantage of summer rains, which are common following drought years.