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

NSW Action Research Group (project) lead

Southern NSW Innovation Hub

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

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).