Territory Natural Resource Management (TNRM) is helping support those in Agriculture across the NT through building land manager capacity and knowledge in soil health and conservation.

After hosting an erosion control landscape function workshop back in July, TNRM staff recently returned to Old Cameron Downs Station to oversee the installation of a contour across one of the paddocks.

In disturbed landscapes, introducing contour banks is a way of intercepting overland water flow and distributing that water across a wider portion of the landscape. It also helps to capture nutrients, providing conditions favourable to increased plant growth and quality.

TNRM Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator Emily Hinds said soils in the NT were variable and were difficult to manage conventionally.

“The variable rainfall further increases the difficulty of managing soil within the region,” she said.

“It is vital we assist land managers to better understand how to manage on-farm soil to ensure that farming in the NT continues in a competitive and sustainable manner.”

The workshop provided practical and theoretical learning for participants to achieve landscape rehydration and restore function and productivity to landscapes.

TNRM established the NT Soil Consortium to bring together soil experts, land managers from various industries and others who are involved in, or have an interest in, soil health and conservation.

It aims to strengthen the capacity and knowledge of land managers, to better enable them to implement land management practices that will improve on-farm soil.

The practical workshop presented by the Mulloon Institute in collaboration with TNRM provided practical and theoretical learning for participants to achieve landscape rehydration and restore function and productivity to landscapes.

The NT Soil Consortium invites everyone who has an interest in the land and their soil to be involved.

SOURCE: TNRM’s Network Notes #6 2021