Victorian Landcare Magazine - , Issue 89
The Corangamite Landcare Program in collaboration with the Corangamite CMA has produced a reference guide to help small landholders and producers in the region create productive and environmentally sustainable properties. The Small Blocks Big Dreams Healthy Hectares Guide is tailored to farmers, small-scale producers, bush-block owners and those managing properties for horses and livestock. It was launched in Colac during Landcare Week in August 2024.
The guide has been adapted from a publication produced by the Euroa Arboretum in 2018. It is full of practical tips and local contacts and will fit easily in the glovebox. Topics covered include soils, water, biodiversity, pests, and pastures. Printed copies are available from local Landcare networks and digital copies are on the Corangamite CMA website.
According to Corangamite CMA’s Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator Karen O’Keefe, the Corangamite region, which stretches from Ballarat to Geelong and along the coast to Peterborough in the west of Victoria, is one of Australia’s fastest growing regions.
“With so many tree-changers new to the area, we want to empower small property owners to care for the biodiversity and health of their land and water – to teach them to farm more sustainably and think strategically,” Karen said.
Above: The Small Blocks Big Dreams Healthy Hectares Guide.
The Small Blocks Big Dreams program got underway in 2021 due to the increase in small landholders moving to the Corangamite region due to COVID-19. The program was delivered by Corangamite CMA in partnership with Landcare networks and groups from early 2022 to April 2024. It has supported more than 150 small landholders across the region to better care for their properties and the environment.
Participants enjoyed six rounds of workshops and property tours and a visit from Corangamite CMA and Landcare staff who helped them to develop tailored land stewardship action plans. Participants were also offered up to $2000 to support the delivery of on-ground works on their properties.
The Small Blocks Big Dreams Healthy Hectares Guide is a legacy document that supports existing participants and acts as a bridge for new participants, providing continuity of learnings and inspiring future landholders to begin their stewardship journey.
Vicky Bosnar, a participant in the program, said, “having just recently bought 80 acres and being a novice at everything, this is just empowering for us. The whole program has been so beneficial – we have learnt so much, I didn’t want it to stop.
“When you’ve come from the city to the country you feel a bit overwhelmed that you don’t have any machinery, you have no knowledge, and you’re looking around for who can help you. Small Blocks Big Dreams has been absolutely fantastic to assist with this.”
The Small Blocks Big Dreams project is one of 11 Our Catchments, Our Communities regional on-ground projects, funded by the Victorian Government to support catchment stewardship, health, and resilience.
Kristen Lees is a Project Officer at Corangamite CMA. For more information go to ccma.vic.gov.au/projects/small-blocks-big-dreams/