About the project
This project addresses the challenge of farming-system resilience in the West Midlands region of Western Australia. A drying climate, increasingly variable seasonal conditions, and fragile sandy soils are potentially affecting both landscape health and farm business viability.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), with project partners West Midlands Group (WMG), Mingenew-Irwin Group (MIG) and Edith Cowan University (ECU), aims to combine farmer knowledge and practices, industry experience and new research to accelerate the adoption of best-practice soil management. Proven practices will be shared through on-farm demonstrations and peer learning to support increased year-round groundcover, improved soil health and stronger farm business resilience.
Alongside this, DPIRD will deliver targeted research to generate new insights. This includes exploring how satellite-derived groundcover data can support on-farm decision-making and comparing sandy soils under different systems to understand the relationship between groundcover and soil function.
Together, these activities will strengthen understanding of and enable landholders to implement practices that improve long-term soil health and farm performance. The project will run until 2030.
Ways to be involved in sharing knowledge
Acknowledging that farmers develop the most appropriate solutions for the challenges they face, the WMG and MIG offer two formats for sharing knowledge and experience:
- Peer learning groups will be established and supported to explore and successfully adopt a combination of practices that address the specific issues on their farm. Through participation in peer-learning groups, producers will collectively uncover the successful strategies for their district that improve landscape resilience. These groups allow members to discuss issues and ideas that are appropriate for their situation, giving them the confidence to trial and adopt changes on their own property.
- Demonstration sites will be established to showcase examples of how some of the more prevalent challenges of sandy soils can be successfully managed. WMG and MIG will hold a series of events based around these demonstration sites to provide knowledge and practical tips on implementing a similar system on your property.
The topics to be explored through the demonstration sites and peer learning groups will be driven by the needs and interests of local farmers, with specialist advice available from consultants and researchers. To get involved, contact the West Midlands Group or the Mingenew-Irwin Group.
Ways to be involved in developing new knowledge
DPIRD is conducting two research activities through this project that will build on our understanding of the relationship between soil function and groundcover and their effect on farm business viability.
- Satellite data validation – measurements of groundcover will be matched against satellite data to check the accuracy of the data. These sites are randomly selected.
- Soil function under different systems – measurements of soil characteristics under different systems to understand factors that affect a soil's capacity to be productive and maintain groundcover.
If you would like to be involved in either of these research activities, send an expression of interest to sandysoils@dpird.wa.gov.au.
What the project aims to achieve
- Improved producer capability to adopt resilient farming practices by demonstrating systems proven to be profitable and resilient in the sandy soils of the West Midlands and supporting capacity building through peer learning groups and decision-ready information packages co-designed with industry.
- Better data for decision-making by assessing groundcover on 300 sites across the project area to validate the accuracy of satellite data and provide guidelines for on-farm decision-making using satellite groundcover products.
- Better understanding of soil health under different systems by developing innovative methodologies to analyse soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics against productive capability and identifying ecosystem tipping points.
Challenges facing the West Midlands agricultural soil zone
The project focuses on the Perth Sedimentary Basin between Gingin and Geraldton, an area dominated by sandy soils, particularly pale deep sands and pale sands over gravel. These soils are difficult to manage due to low fertility, low water-holding capacity, water repellence and susceptibility to erosion, with producers identifying water repellence as the primary constraint. Declining growing-season rainfall, increasingly variable seasonal breaks and extreme seasonal events, such as cyclones and pest outbreaks, have compounded these challenges, making groundcover more difficult to maintain and heightening the risk of erosion. Satellite data show a trend over the last 20 years of expanding areas of low groundcover (see images).
While many producers have adopted soil management practices that have improved productivity, further action is needed. Farm management needs to adapt to ensure that groundcover and farming systems are resilient in the face of the changing conditions. This project brings producers together to explore integrated solutions to increase groundcover and build long-term business and landscape resilience. Options include soil amelioration, organic amendments, improved pasture systems, fodder shrubs and grazing strategies. Support will be tailored to address farm-specific constraints and business goals.
Get involved
Explore how you can be part of the Sustainable Sandy Soils project. Whether you’re a
landholder, land manager, or agribusiness, there are plenty of ways to get involved.
If you would like to participate in any way, then please get in touch.
Register your interestContact us
Related information and resources
Acknowledgements
Sustainable Sandy Soils is a joint initiative of DPIRD, West Midlands Group, Mingenew Irwin Group and Edith Cowan University, funded by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry under the Future Drought Fund’s Resilient Landscapes Program.
