Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub

What Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub does

Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub (Vic Hub) is a government-funded research and extension consortium established in 2021 to enhance drought preparedness and resilience across Victoria, Australia's agricultural industries, environment, and regional communities. It operates as a coalition of four universities (University of Melbourne, Deakin, La Trobe, Federation) and five regional node leads (Birchip Cropping Group, Riverine Plains, Southern Farming Systems, Food & Fibre Gippsland, Mallee Regional Innovation Centre), with delivery supported by Agriculture Victoria. The hub runs more than 100 projects across soil health, water management, climate adaptation, agtech, mental health, and farm finance, reaching over 1,000 farms state-wide.

The hub's product portfolio combines digital decision-support tools, knowledge-sharing platforms, and community programs. Notable digital tools include the Economic Impact Assessment Tool (developed with Deakin University), DRInKS Decision Maps (eight enterprise-specific base maps), the Small Farm Dams Assessment Tool (spatial imagery with runoff prediction), the Water Allocation Forecasting System (reducing allocation uncertainty by 50%), the Top Crop App, and the Weather Station Network. Knowledge and community programs include the Innovation Ag Podcast, the Young Farmers Network (300+ members), the YAPs Network, the DRI-Net research network, and the Pasture 365 long-term pasture trials. Major events include the Drought Resilience 2025 Conference at Deakin's Waurn Ponds campus and annual showcases.

The hub is entirely funded by the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund, with continued funding committed for an additional eight years under Hub 2.0. It is not a commercial enterprise; all services are provided free to Victorian farmers, communities, and stakeholders. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on farming systems groups and regional nodes for on-ground delivery rather than traditional commercial channels. Headcount is 8 core staff, with extended operational capacity drawn from partner organisations and universities.

Name

Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub

Legal name

Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub

Website

https://vicdroughthub.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub is a government-funded research and extension consortium that delivers drought resilience tools, research, and community programs to over 1,000 Victorian farms through five regional nodes and four university partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Extension Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Resilience & Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (BPAGABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD), Farm Finance, Input Procurement & Risk Tools (Budgeting, Inventory, Insurance Links) (AFAAAFAO), Water Quality & Watershed/Hydrologic Modeling (SWMM/HEC-RAS, Flood/Runoff/Nutrient) (EUAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Drought resilience research
• Agricultural extension services
• Climate adaptation programs
• Farm decision support tools
• Regional drought innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dookie

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Australian Government Future Drought Fund: The hub is funded by the Australian Government through the Future Drought Fund. The hub was created in 2021 and received continued funding for an additional eight years (Hub 2.0) to continue activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Vic Hub is a government-funded research and extension consortium that connects farmers, industry stakeholders, researchers, and regional communities to co-design drought resilience solutions for Victoria. It delivers digital decision-support tools, knowledge-sharing networks, training programs, community events, and applied research projects addressing drought preparedness, climate adaptation, soil and water management, farm business resilience, and mental health support across broadacre, livestock, horticulture, and dairy systems.

Product overview

The Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub is a collaborative research and extension organization (not a traditional software product company) that offers a portfolio of programs, tools, conferences, and networks to enhance drought preparedness and resilience for Victoria's agricultural industries, environment, and regional communities. The portfolio includes: educational programs (Innovation Ag Podcast, Young Farmers Network, YAPs Network); decision support tools (Economic Impact Assessment Tool, DRInKS knowledge platform, Small Farm Dams Assessment Tool, Top Crop App, Weather Station Network); conferences and events (Drought Resilience 2025 Conference, Drought Resilience Showcase, Innovation Showcase); research networks (DRI-Net, Pasture 365 long-term trials); environmental projects (Green Dams, Soil programs); and mental health support programs. These offerings work together as an integrated ecosystem of research, extension, and community support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DRI-Net (Drought Resilience Interdisciplinary Network): A network of researchers across academic disciplines involved in all aspects of drought-resilience research, launched at Drought Resilience 2025 conference.
• DRInKS (Drought Resilience Information and Knowledge Sharing)

Products and services

• Innovation Ag Podcast A podcast series that shares knowledge, innovation, and emerging research across agriculture with producers, advisors, and regional communities to build drought resilience understanding.
• Young Farmers Network A network program designed to build strong social and professional networks for early career farmers and young agribusiness professionals across Victoria's agricultural regions.
• DRI-Net (Drought Resilience Interdisciplinary Network) A network of researchers from across academic disciplines engaged in research related to drought resilience, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among academics, landholders, community organisations, industry, and government.
• Drought Resilience 2025 Conference Australia's first major cross-disciplinary academic conference dedicated to advancing drought resilience for landholders, rural communities, and the natural environment, held July 9-11, 2025 at Deakin University's Waurn Ponds campus in Geelong, Victoria.
• Drought Resilience Showcase Annual showcase events highlighting the Vic Hub's work in drought resilience, featuring presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities.
• Economic Impact Assessment Tool An economic assessment tool developed by Deakin University to equip farmers, agricultural organisations, and regional communities with better information about the economic impacts of new technologies, practices, and innovations for managing drought.
• DRInKS (Drought Resilience Information and Knowledge Sharing) A project that captures existing drought knowledge from expert farmers across different farming systems and seasons, and uses that knowledge to build capacity for farmers and stakeholders to make drought resilience decisions. Includes eight enterprise-specific base maps.
• Small Farm Dams Assessment Tool A spatial imagery tool that allows farmers to click on an existing dam on a map, automatically mapping the catchment and using climate grids and runoff models to predict the frequency and volume of runoff at that dam.
• Top Crop App A digital application version of the MEYcheck manual for use by farmers and advisors to deliver agronomic information in an updatable format which can be incorporated in Yield Prophet Lite and other simple calculators.
• Weather Station Network A network of weather stations developed to support bushfire management and provide robust climate data for agricultural decision-making across Victoria.
• Green Dams Project A project focusing on how management of vegetation in and around dams can be enhanced for drought preparedness, measuring biodiversity, water quality, and economic value of creating green dams.
• Young Agriculture Professionals (YAPs) Network A network engaging regional youth involved in agriculture with conversations, skills development, support, and networking to build drought and business resilience.
• Pasture 365 A long-term trial scientifically evaluating the effectiveness of species-diverse pastures in increasing resilience and providing year-round pasture by testing a range of pasture mixes across Australia's southern temperate regions.
• Climate Courage A program to inspire courage and discussion for future climate action among farming communities.
• Mental Health Training Programs Programs including train-the-trainer mental health awareness training, Tomorrow Farmers workshops, and support programs to strengthen mental health awareness across rural communities.
• Farm Business Resilience Resources Free training and tools for Victorian producers including courses on farm business financial performance, business planning, climate adaptation, and natural resource improvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 farms reached through drought resilience projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHub headquarters at Dookie College campus. University of Melbourne leads the Long-Term Trials for Drought Resilient Farming Practices and provides overall hub leadership through Director Dr Sara Hely.
• Deakin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of Drought Resilience 2025 Conference at Waurn Ponds campus. Deakin's Centre for Regional and Rural Futures leads knowledge broker activities. Prof Rebecca Lester serves as Knowledge-Broker Lead and Director for Centre for Regional and Rural Futures.
• Agriculture VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government agricultural agency partner. Provides research capacity including projects on monitoring hive health, agrivoltaics, and general extension services across Victoria.
• Federation UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Platform Partner. Federation University's Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) leads digital tools development including soil health implications research and animal welfare data projects.
• La Trobe UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university contributing research expertise. Hosted Local Climate Adaptation Think Tank at Bendigo campus.
• Birchip Cropping Group (BCG)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorth-West Node lead organization. CEO Fiona Best serves as Regional Director for Vic Hub. Leads Young Farmer Network project and Top Crop App development.
• Riverine PlainscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorth-East Node lead organization. Led renewable energy feasibility study, containment feeding innovation project, circular economy with biofertilisers, and electronic identification tags project.
• Southern Farming SystemscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSouth-West Node lead organization. Leads DRInKS project (Drought Resilience Information and Knowledge Sharing), feedbase initiatives, and provides My Farm Dashboard and Decision Wizard tools.
• Food & Fibre GippslandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSouth-East Node lead organization. Leads Green Dams project for sustainable water management, Sovereign Fertiliser Manufacturing Capacity, and mental health awareness training.
• Mallee Regional Innovation CentrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorth-West Irrigated Horticulture Node lead. Led drought consultations and cross-sector collaboration projects including blue-green algae and water allocation forecasting.
• South Australia Drought HubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-hub collaboration partner. Joint project on Modern Drought Management for Perennial Horticulture Plants with 21 demonstration sites across SA, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
• Tas Farm Innovation HubsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-hub collaboration partner. Joint delivery of Containment Feeding to Boost Business Performance and Resilience project.
• Australian Pork LimitedsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner for soil health implications research on pig effluent use as fertilizer. Collaboration between Vic Drought Hub, Federation University, University of Melbourne and Australian Pork Limited.
• SuniTAFE SMART FarmsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnology demonstration partner in Mildura. Established mini-projects showcasing AgTech for irrigation optimization with nearly 300 growers attending tours.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• South Australia Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub: SA's equivalent Future Drought Fund hub, co-delivering joint projects on perennial horticulture drought management with the Vic Hub. Operates identical consortium model with universities and farming systems groups across South Australia.
• Tas Farm Innovation Hub (Tasmania Drought Hub): Tasmania's drought resilience hub, collaborating with Vic Hub on cross-jurisdictional projects including the Containment Feeding to Boost Business Performance initiative. Funded by the same Future Drought Fund.
• New South Wales Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub: NSW's equivalent Future Drought Fund hub operating under the same federal program structure. Provides regional peer benchmarking for Vic Hub's tools and delivery model across eastern Australian farming systems.
• Western Australia Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub: WA's drought resilience hub, another Future Drought Fund consortium serving WA's distinct dryland and pastoral farming systems. Operates a comparable university-and-farming-groups delivery model.
• Queensland Drought and Climate Adaptation Program: Queensland's drought resilience hub under the Future Drought Fund program, focusing on tropical and subtropical agriculture. Comparable scope and funding structure to Vic Hub.
• Northern Territory Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub: NT's drought resilience hub under the Future Drought Fund, focused on pastoral and extensive grazing systems. Direct peer through the federal hub program structure.

Broad incumbents

• CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation): Australia's national science agency conducting broad agricultural and climate research. Larger incumbent that collaborates with all drought hubs and offers overlapping climate adaptation research capabilities but at national scale rather than state-lev

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/victoria-drought-resilience-adoption-innovation-hub
• Instagraminstagram.com/vichub_drought_innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub