So what's new?: Drought, low rainfall ... a variable climate

For over a century, farmers in the northern plains region of Victoria have adapted to the challenge of farming in a climate shaped by periodic drought and low rainfall. The "climatic" and "pricing" shocks which have occurred during the first decade of the new millennium have driven considerable change across the once stable production landscape.

The change taking place that is necessary to enable the region to cope with future climate change will result in a reduction in the size of the region's irrigation footprint and a corresponding rise in the area of dryland. However, managing the adverse impacts associated with the rapid large scale transformation that is taking place is proving a challenge.