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Issue 4: Working collaboratively & culturally connected
Once the issues of accessing rural lands and managing the land use impacts that are occurring on and between them are understood (refer to Issues 1 – 3 of this document), it is important to recognise the importance of collaboration in the context of rural lands.
Many of the activities undertaken on rural lands are part of a larger network of industry and environment. Many of the issues and opportunities are not bound by the Clarence Valley’s local government boundaries, and as such there are a range of State Government, industry and research interests that need to be considered by individual landholders. Working collaboratively within these contexts will assist in achieving long-term outcomes for rural lands and landholders.
Similarly, there are strong ties between rural lands and the Aboriginal peoples of the area who have an innate understanding of the Clarence Valley and the importance of land management from a traditional and custodian perspective. Acknowledging and utilising this understanding will provide further long-term benefits to the land and its importance to Aboriginal people.
Working collaboratively is also important for broader rural community building in the context of resilience. This includes immediate responses to natural disasters, but also about long-term informal rural networks that may be established by a closer connection and understanding of rural issues. These matters are also considered within the context of this issue.
4.1 Aboriginal and traditional practices
Central to all rural lands is its connection to the Aboriginal peoples of the region. Consistent with Council’s statement of reconciliation, there is an ongoing effort to integrate cultural understanding to the longterm strategies and actions of Council.
In context of recent natural disasters, Council has been actively involved in identifying areas of Aboriginal significance within the rural land context (being undertaken in associated with the RFS). Council is also undertaking cultural mapping projects, including:
o Yaegl Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Mapping Project, and o a proposed partnership project with the Native Title Holders and Traditional Custodians to conduct a cultural mapping project on Gumbaynggirr country47 .
Outcomes of these projects will better recognise and secure important cultural sites and will become more pivotal to future activities into the future.
Council, as well as a range of other government agencies, is also working with Aboriginal communities to understand and integrate opportunities for their knowledge of land management to better inform existing practices. This process is recognised in the outcomes of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements which published its outcomes in October 2020. Exploring these
47 Refer to Council’s 2021/2022 Operational Plan
opportunities at a local level would provide alternative perspectives on collaborative understanding of the value of rural lands.
These opportunities are also supported by Council’s LSPS that identifies the establishment of networks and training opportunities for primary producers to work with local First Nations to improve land management, especially cultural burning.
Traditional Custodians in Clarence Valley also have a variety of land holdings. There may be opportunities to work with the Aboriginal community to explore how these landholdings are utilised, managed and where appropriate developed for the benefit of the local Aboriginal community. This may also assist in the development of Aboriginal tourism opportunities as part of the broader rural land tourism offerings (see Issue 6 section on ‘rural tourism’).
4.2 Building connections
Throughout the initial engagement stages of the developing the Clarence Valley Rural Lands Strategy it has been clear that there are numerous organisations that work within the rural lands space. These generally fit into three categories:
o Industry groups, that tend to have high levels of expertise and understanding of specific sectors, including co-operatives, peak bodies and the like o Government agencies and associated bodies, including DPI,
LLS, Biodiversity Conservation Division (BCD) and Council, as well as a range of related institutions that undertake research, training and education initiatives that are often funded by
State or Federal government o Community and not-for-profit organisations, that range from localised groups with particular interests in rural lands, to national level organisations.
Discussions associated with the project have highlighted the extensive work being undertaken across a range of agricultural and environmental protection areas. These extend from landowner to landowner advice, agency to agency and famer to agency or vis-versa, all of which provide a range of knowledge sharing and growth.
What is also apparent across the region, is that despite the Clarence Valley having the most rural land and being the largest agricultural producer, many organisations have a greater focus or existing collaboration with coastal areas to the north. Several identified that Tweed and Byron councils’ appointment of agricultural officers has been a conduit to working more closely with local government in the delivery of programs education events and advisory services.
Within the context of Clarence Valley Council, there is no centralised officer or position that is associated with agricultural activities. Nonetheless, Council’s LSPS has a clear intent to “Protect agricultural land and increase opportunities for access to locally produced fresh food and economic growth” (Priority 13). There are also identified directions within the context of rural / hinterland tourism and the desire for biodiversity protection across the rural lands network.
A review of the Tweed and Byron Shire Council websites provides a snapshot of the types of activities that are undertaken, as summarised below:
o Tweed “Sustainable Agriculture Program” works with local landholders, community groups, State agencies, and research
organisations to improve the viability and environmental capacity of the Tweed’s farmland. This includes education programs, on-ground research and demonstration projects, policy work and advocacy. o Byron Council offers a free onsite farm consultation through their “Agricultural Extension Officer” alongside guides and toolkits for farmers in the area, as well as ongoing coordination of workshops, field days, farming events and grant opportunities.
Discussions with industry, not-for-profits and State agencies highlighted the benefits of this direct connection to these councils. This creates greater opportunities for leveraging of resources given that many issues and sectors cross LGA boundaries.
4.3 Education and shared resources
As outlined above, building better connections with the range of industry, government and not-for-profit organisations also can also bring about a range of education and shared resources. This is supported by the 2021 Australian Farm Institute report Stronger Ag, Stronger Regions, highlights that regional jobs, education and training is the number one priority to invest in to grow the agri-food sector.
Related back to the previous sub-section on building connections, both the Tweed and Byron shires have a range of information, including programs and activities which they facilitate, easily available online48 . Programs and resources for activities such as weeds, pest and other
48 See for example programs and information sources at https://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Business/Key-industry-sectors/Agriculture and https://www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/environment/agriculture-farming/agriculture-projects - accessed 19 November 2021 biosecurity and the like are also integrated with these as a more holistic direction for rural land holders – including both videos and written resources.
On the infrastructure side, whilst there are specific industries that have very effective sharing arrangements, there are few more generalised infrastructure resource opportunities. Some of these opportunities are identified by strategic plans established by Clarence Valley Food Incorporated49 , whilst others are identified within Council’s LSPS. Examples include:
o Wholesale produce market and food hub o Cold food storage facility and distribution centre o Mobile abattoir and processing facility o Connections to supply chains incorporating international markets (e.g. Wellcamp and Gold Coast airports)
Each of these requires more detailed investigation and business case development, though short-term initiatives that build towards these projects may be necessary to achieve the momentum required for successful outcomes.
From a Council perspective, there are also opportunities to work more collaboratively with neighbouring local governments, as well as with industry bodies, to facilitate cross-border considerations. Examples may include the berry / protected cropping industry with Coffs Harbour, and macadamia industry with Ballina, both of which have distinct hots spots within the LGA – as shown in Figure 17 overleaf.
49 Including The Clarence Valley Food & Agribusiness Call to Action (May 2020) and Grow the Clarence (July 2020)
Figure 17: Berry and macadamia hotspot map
7Figure 8 Figure 17: Berry and Macadamia
farming areas
4.4 Creating community resilience
Linked to the above is the consequence of building greater community resilience within those located on rural lands. There has been extensive work undertaken following the 2019/2020 bushfire season, as well as the preceding drought and post flood events.
Council has developed a draft Disaster Resilience Framework (2021) and has been working on a range of recovery and resilience projects. These broadly continue to highlight the importance of the agricultural industries of the region, and of the rural lands more broadly.
As relevant to the Rural Lands Strategy, the Framework identifies:
o the major industries including tourism, agriculture and fisheries are increasingly susceptible to natural hazards o A strategy to empower primary producers to make informed and sustainable investments to respond and adapt to the climate change induced natural disaster risk challenges
Connecting the outcomes of recovery and resilience planning to the outcomes of the Rural Lands Strategy is therefore important for both consistency and to value-add to these in-depth processes.
RELATED RURAL LANDS STRATEGY RECOMMENDATIONS
Note: the recommendation numbers relate to those presented in the Rural Land Strategy document for ease of reference.
Elevate the importance of rural lands within Council and the community
Recommendation 8: Establish an ‘Sustainable Agricultural Officer’ within Council
Establishing this position will enable Council to facilitate effective delivery of collaborative working opportunities across a range of industry, government and not-for-profit organisations.
Recommendation 10: Collaborate with Aboriginal communities on and caring for country and planning for, and use of, rural lands
Recognising, and working with, the knowledge base Aboriginal communities have with rural land in the Clarence Valley will allow for integration of cultural values with the ongoing use. In addition, better utilising, managing and developing Aboriginal landholdings in the interest of the Aboriginal community can improve cultural connection to the broader community.
Engage with government and industry to leverage support
Recommendation 17: Provide a range of programs, training and education opportunities for rural landowners and the broader public
The Clarence Valley has a proud agricultural history and is foundational across the LGA and Northern Rivers more broadly. Promoting this
through Council, and in collaboration with industry and others, can result in visitors and non-residents gaining a deeper appreciation of agriculture in the Clarence Valley that can improve rural and non-rural collaboration. Through Council’s ‘Sustainable Agricultural Officer’, various opportunities are available to focus on increasing collaboration to improve agricultural productivity, sustainability and cultural connectedness.
Develop supporting infrastructure that enables opportunities
Recommendation 22: Consider opportunities for, and where viable develop an ‘Agricultural Hub’ to benefit a wide spectrum of rural activities
An ‘Agricultural Hub” can be used as a home of agricultural in the Clarence Valley. It can be utilised to facilitate collaborative arrangements to create a supportive network of suppliers and producers to achieve greater outcomes.
