GeoCatch and the Mulloon Institue partner up to deliver a new program for farmers

A new program aimed at supporting farmers’ understanding of water on their properties and building resilient landscapes will launch in Geographe next month.

Together, GeoCatch and the Mulloon Institute will work to deliver the Rehydrating Farm Landscapes Program to the Geographe region.

Responding to challenges faced by landholders such as water rapidly running off paddocks after heavy rain or areas which switch from being flooded in the winter to dry in the summer, the program presents strategies to help retain water in the landscape and “restore ecological balance”.

Marking the beginning of the four-stage program, the first event will be the introducing farm hydrology field day. It will be led by Mulloon Institue hydrologist Lance Mudgway who has more than 20 years experience working with surface and groundwater across Western Australia.

Held on Wednesday March 4, the field day aims to help those who want to strengthen their understanding of the movement of water in a landscape, the importance of water cycling for farm health and how hydrology-based restoration can repair degraded land.

On April 22 and 23, a two-day landscape rehydration bootcamp will run, providing hands-on training in using the water cycle to improve landscape function and plan restoration works.

Those who graduate from the bootcamp can then continue on to the one-on-one mentoring program held from May until October.

Tailored for individual landholders, it will include one-on-one mentoring sessions with Mulloon Institute experts , access to a peer learning hub and a property visit.

Rounding out the program will be the boots-on-ground project day in October, bringing together participants for a property scale land restoration project hosted on a local farm involved in the program.

Tickets for the first event next month can be purchased online through the GeoCatch website.