The Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment is now accepting applications for Round 4 of the Smart Farms Small Grants program. Applications close at 11.00am on Friday, 9 October 2020.

Smart Farms Small Grants is an open, competitive, grant opportunity to support projects to increase farming, forestry and fishing communities’ awareness, knowledge, skills and capacity to adopt best practice sustainable agriculture.

Grants of up to $100,000 are available to support projects that will deliver more sustainable, productive and profitable food, fibre and forestry business, while protecting biodiversity and improving natural resource conditions. The project must be completed by 30 June 2023.

Eligible activities

The grant provides funding for activities that demonstrate or extend agriculture practices that are either emerging or best practice for industries or regions, which may not be widely adopted. These practices must achieve one or both of the following:

• Increased adoption of best practice sustainable agriculture
• Increased capacity for land managers to adopt best practice sustainable agriculture.

The purpose of Smart Farms Small Grants is to support land manager practice change that will deliver more sustainable, productive and profitable food, fibre and forestry business while protecting Australia’s biodiversity; protecting and improving the condition of natural resources; and assisting Australia meet its international obligations.

A total of $43.5 million (GST exclusive) is available for Smart Farms Small Grants over six years (2017–18 to 2022–23).

• The first round opened for applications in October 2017 from which, the then Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources approved 77 projects totalling $4.75 million (GST exclusive).
• The second round opened for applications in November 2018 from which the then Minister for Agriculture approved 110 projects totalling $9.246 million (GST exclusive).
• The third round opened for applications in October 2019 from which the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management approved 113 projects totalling $5.03 million (GST exclusive).
• This grant opportunity is the fourth round.

To learn more, go to https://www.communitygrants.gov.au/grants/smart-farms