Australia’s farmers will get the chance to share their stories and learn from other countries to build global drought resilience and preparedness, through a new international partnership.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt announced today that Australia has joined the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA).
“IDRA is a network of countries looking to collaborate together to put drought at the top of the agenda,” Minister Watt said.
“It was co-convened by Spain and Senegal and launched at the 2022 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27).
“It’s a platform for countries to put their heads together and look at ways we can move from crisis management to drought preparedness and adaptation.
“IDRA also encourages governments to allocate resources towards drought resilience.
“Joining the alliance is timely – we are looking at warm and dry conditions across Australia over the coming months with El Niño conditions and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) confirmed for the first time in eight years.
“We know climate change will mean more droughts that are longer and more severe, and with that brings the challenge of finding solutions to limit economic loss and genuine hardship.
“We can use this opportunity to learn from other countries and to share our knowledge in return. Drought is an enduring feature of the Australian landscape and our farmers are good at navigating the conditions.”
