Building local knowledge of soil health
Cape York land managers are building their knowledge and skills in soil health and sustainable land management through a local Communities of Practice project led by Cape York NRM in partnership with the Annan, Endeavour and Normanby Producer Group.
As part of the project, Cape York NRM hosted a practical ‘Understanding Your Soil’ workshop in July at Hazelmere, in the Endeavour Valley near Cooktown. The workshop brought together Indigenous and non-Indigenous graziers and horticulturalists to explore soil health and learn practical skills they can apply on their own properties.
Participants brought soil samples from their properties and worked alongside TNQ Drought Hub Regional Soils Coordinator Dhiraj Gajera to learn how to collect and test soil samples. The hands-on approach gave producers an opportunity to better understand what their soil can tell them and how this information can support land and business management decisions.
Workshop attendees Libby Cook-Black and Stanton Jackson said the workshop “gave us a much deeper understanding of what’s happening beneath the surface and how important that is to the long-term health and productivity of the farm.”
The workshop also provided an opportunity for producers to share experiences and engage in peer-to-peer learning. Building practical skills and connections between producers is an important part of the projects’ aims in supporting sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices across Cape York.
We’d like to thank Councillor Marilyn Morris for hosting the workshop at ‘Hazelmere’ in the Endeavour Valley, and Trevor Meldrum from Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Inc. for his support in bringing the workshop together.
This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program
