FARMERS involved in Landcare have been labelled the “quiet achievers of the environment”, as the program marks its 30th anniversary this year.
The Landcare movement started in north central Victoria in 1986, when a group of local farmers from Winjallok formed the first Landcare group in the country.
Three decades on, the Victorian Landcare Program continues to play an important role in the agricultural landscape, according to North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) regional Landcare coordinator Tess Grieves.
“It’s just really about a space for local landholders and different types of community members coming together and focusing on the issues that are important to them,” she said.
“Doing that, they can pull resources, find funding and gain support to get whatever they need addressed.”
Ms Grieves said while farmers, both part-time and full-time, continued to be the main drivers of the movement, it was also open to community members.
Rural health issues such as salinity and erosion continue to play a major role in the focus of local Landcare groups, but it has extended to include pest, plant and animal management and biodiversity enhancement.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Friday’s Guardian (May 13).
