RiskWi$e National Risk Management Initiative

RiskWi$e is a 5‑year, $30 million national initiative led by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Running from 2023–2028, it helps grain growers make better on‑farm decisions by balancing upside rewards against downside risks.

In NSW, the RiskWi$e Agricultural Research Group (ARG) is led by Southern NSW Innovation Hub to deliver participatory research and extension across five themes: nitrogen, sowing, enterprise agronomy, enterprise finance, and natural resource management.

Project overview

Supporting growers to identify and test risky decisions
Build understanding of risk‑reward relationships in farm management
Share new insights with growers and advisers
Challenge decision‑making to improve resilience and profitability

The target outcome is that 80% of grain growers can explain their management decisions in terms of risk and reward.

Reports and resources

Project principal partner

Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)

National project lead

CSIRO

Key themes and NSW projects

RiskWi$e’s NSW ARG is led by Southern NSW Innovation Hub and involves 10 partner organisations working across the state’s low, medium and high rainfall broadacre production zones.

Nitrogen decisions

Testing nitrogen (N) sequence targets vs traditional budgets at 14 sites
Measuring yield projections, biological/economic optimums, and local practice
Exploring grower attitudes and behaviours around N management
Partner organisations: AMPS Research, Grain Orana Alliance (GOA), Central West Farming Systems (CWFS), Ag Grow Agronomy, FarmLink Research, Holbrook Landcare Network, Riverine Plains, Southern Growers, Irrigation Research and Extension Committee (IREC), and Irrigation Farmers Network

Enterprise agronomic decisions

Phosphorus management: Testing strategies to reduce P input costs on high‑P soils (AgGrow Agronomy)
Lime and learn: Assessing risks/rewards of liming in low‑rainfall systems (GOA)
Rotational decisions: Improving cropping system choices through simulations and participatory research (AMPS Research)

Enterprise financial decisions

Major capital acquisitions: Tools and information for farm expansion, machinery, and storage investments (AMPS Research)
Slow thinking frameworks: Helping growers adopt slower, more deliberate decision‑making under uncertainty (Riverine Plains and Holbrook Landcare Network)

Natural resource management

Soil carbon risks: Workshops, surveys, and case studies to understand carbon storage, cycling, and offsetting risks (CWFS)

Project funding

RiskWi$e is made possible thanks to the involvement of all its partners and was established through a $30 million investment of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).