About Southern NSW Innovation Hub

Our purpose

We aim to strengthen southern NSW’s ability to adapt to a changing climate by promoting the adoption of innovative practices, advanced technologies, and new systems. By leveraging our extensive network of partners we offer solutions tailored to the unique challenges of our region.

What we do

Our work focuses on four key areas to enhance drought resilience:

• Insight creation: We collate and create actionable knowledge for drought resilience, from social and environmental data to advanced drought prediction tools.
• Capacity building: Through workshops, training programs, and on-the-ground activities, we build the skills needed to adopt new practices and technologies.
• Collaboration: We facilitate cross-sector partnerships, ensuring that our region benefits from the collective expertise of researchers, industry experts, and community groups.
• Leveraging investment: We help direct funding and resources to high-priority projects, ensuring long-term sustainability.

Since our inception in 2021, the Hub has contributed to impactful projects that are increasing farmers’ climate resilience, improving soil health, promoting water-efficient farming, and enhancing community planning for drought preparedness. Our efforts have helped raise over $30 million in co-investment for projects that directly benefit the region’s farmers and communities.

Acknowledgement of Country

Southern NSW Innovation Hub acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work. We acknowledge all of the Aboriginal nations across our southern NSW, including their deep and abiding connections to Country.  We acknowledge the history of this land and the stories of resilience and survival that make up Indigenous Australia.  We give thanks to Aboriginal Elders and knowledge keepers of each generation including the many Aboriginal communities which contribute to the life of our regions.

Our footprint

Our geographical boundary encompasses the Macquarie River catchment, including its upper reaches, irrigation areas, and lower Darling River areas. It extends to the Hunter catchment’s western and southern edges, near the Sydney Catchment and Hawkesbury River mouth. The southern and western boundaries align with the Victorian and South Australian borders.

Our region’s farming systems encompass all the major agricultural sectors – aquaculture, wine, dairy, grain, cotton, livestock, horticulture, and many emerging industries – and cover diverse geographical features and climatic variations, intensive and extensive systems, and dryland and irrigated production.

Get involved

Whether you are a farmer, researcher, or community member, we invite you to explore how the Southern NSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub can support your journey towards a more resilient future. Discover our projects, attend our events, or sign up to our newsletter to stay across the latest.