Putting farmers at the centre of industry innovation
As the world’s population grows there is increasing pressure on the agriculture sector to produce safe, high quality food in production systems that are climate smart, transparent and ...
Allan Dale heads the TNQ Drought Hub team that sits within The Cairns Institute and delivers the Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise (SATSIE) program. The SATSIE teams work and collaborate with a number of critical partners and stakeholders to encourage innovation and develop economic opportunities that offers positive social, cultural, and economic impacts for Indigenous community members.
Some of the highlights for 2022 included:
1. Supporting Aboriginal engagement in agriculture and agribusiness by raising awareness with Aboriginal groups about their rights and interests in water under Queensland’s Water Act and water plans, and outlining processes for how these water rights can be considered and utilised. In this regard, we have been working with at least 4 significant traditional groups across the TNQ landscape and 3 regional traditional owner networks. All of these groups are looking to become more involved in water use and management, including how they can use the water themselves for achieving their cultural values, agriculture, or trade the water with third parties for agricultural use. This support has already raised over $1 million of investment in facilitating traditional owners in progressing these aspirations.
2. Preparing a manual with the draft title of Achieving First Nation Aspirations in Freshwater in North Queensland - A Manual about enhancing First Nation Participation in Water Planning, Management and Governance. This emerging manual outlines existing Aboriginal rights and interests in water in North Queensland and how they can be accessed and used, as well as identifying procedures for engagement in and influencing upcoming water plan reviews to improve cultural flows and Indigenous reserves in the next iteration of these plans.
3. Supporting a number of events that aimed to help build resilient Indigenous businesses and communities by connecting to innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities. Events supported include a Thursday Island Business Month Forum, Keriba Building and Construction Program Business Workshop, Screening of Tender Community Funerals film in Cairns and Thursday Island, the Indigenous Food and Business Expo in Cairns, Indigenous Food Gathering and the Engineers Without Borders Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation Showcase Challenge. They have also been working with the Deadly Business Program and the Queensland Social Enterprise Council (QSEC) and have connected a number of Indigenous businesses and innovators throughout the region.
Moving into 2023 the team will continue working with North Queensland traditional owner groups and Indigenous businesses to assist them to access and benefit from their water interests and rights, especially through the use of their allocations in Indigenous water reserves in water plans. This work will also focus on combining Aboriginal land and water rights so that agricultural development and other uses may be successfully achieved and provide beneficial outcomes for Aboriginal people. SATSIE will continue to showcase a number of Indigenous innovations and businesses; a showcase event in 2023 will partner with the Councils of Aurukun, Weipa, Napranum and Mapoon in the Western Cape Futures Symposium to be held in March. On the back of strong partnerships with the Torres and Cape Indigenous Councils Alliance, the Gulf Savannah NRM, Cape York NRM, Terrain NRM and FNQ ROC, they will continue to support the Regional Economies Centre of Excellence to develop and progress implementation of emerging Regional Drought Resilience Plans.