Funded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction (NDRR) Grants Program, GGA will lead a body of work in Western Australia to build preparedness and resilience in Grower Groups to enhance relief and recovery efforts following an emergency response.

As Western Australia is expected to suffer increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, past events have highlighted critical challenges including restricted access to rural areas, communication breakdowns, and appropriate focus on densely populated townsites. In these situations, grower groups are called upon to address immediate crises in their communities, a role for which they are historically unprepared for.

This project seeks to engage and prepare the grower group network, and their 4000 farming enterprise members, to respond immediately and participate effectively with appropriate emergency service agencies and to further build their natural disaster preparedness and resilience.

Natural disaster response and recovery is not a typical role of grower groups, but often times groups can be ‘thrown in the deep end’ of a disaster with minimal understanding of roles, responsibilities and what is required to support their communities and members.

This project seeks to understand the areas of support that may be requested of Grower Groups in the aftermath of an emergency and to build their preparedness and resilience through a capacity building program.

Timeline

Project Stages

This project will involve 2 phases:

Phase 1

Identify 5 grower groups across WA that have been impacted by natural disasters in the past; develop a report of lessons learnt and undertake a gap analysis from their lived experiences involved in responding to natural disasters (bushfire, flood, storm, cyclone),
Develop a ‘toolbox’ of information resources,
Develop preparedness activity plans including templates for common hazards.

Phase 2

Develop and deliver a training program for grower group members of the GGA Network (open audience),
Ongoing – toolbox of resources easily accessible and maintained.

Introduction to Emergency Management Webinar

Date: Wednesday, 29 April 2026

Time: 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM AWST

Format: Microsoft Teams

Cost: Free

Open to: All members of the GGA Network, although content has been written with Grower Groups in mind.

Content: The 2.5-hour session, delivered by Kylie Shailer (DFES), Sue Middleton (agdots) and Alison Lacey (GGA), supports groups to better understand potential roles, responsibilities, and how to work effectively alongside emergency service agencies when disaster strikes.

Project Updates

Key Findings Summary

This report is the first phase of a three-part project to improve emergency preparedness and recovery capacity across Western Australia’s grower group network. It documents the lived experiences of grower groups involved in five major emergencies, drawing on in-depth interviews to identify common challenges, enabling factors, and lessons learned. These insights inform a framework to better integrate grower groups into the State’s emergency management system. Read the report h ere.

News

Follow Grower Group Alliance and Department of Fire and Emergency Services

⏰Last Chance to Register – Introduction to Emergency Management Webinar 🌱

📅 29 April 2026 | 🕒 12:00–2:30pm | 💻 Online | 🎟️ Free

Registrations are closing soon for GGA’s free training webinar supporting WA grower groups to build preparedness and resilience before, during… pic.twitter.com/HJwM8l16f9
— Grower Group Alliance (@GGA_WA) April 28, 2026

🌾📝 A new report on “Lessons from Grower Groups in Disaster Recovery” shares powerful insights from five WA grower groups that supported their communities through major emergency events in recent years.

Drawing on experiences from five major climate events, it captures key… pic.twitter.com/kY8EuKHQzk
— Grower Group Alliance (@GGA_WA) November 12, 2025

Last week @alisonlacey01 and Frances Marshall from Grower Group Alliance attended #AFAC25 – Australasia’s largest conference and exhibition for emergency management professionals 🚨

The conference highlighted the importance of managing disaster risks, and working collaboratively… pic.twitter.com/llx3HMfrM7
— Grower Group Alliance (@GGA_WA) September 1, 2025

Resources

Settling The Dust: Lessons Learnt from the 2015 Esperance Fires

Produced by South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA)

Recovery Basics:
the impact of disasters on
communities and individuals

Produced by the Australian Red Cross

Looking After Yourself and Your Family After a Disaster

Produced by the Australian Red Cross

Member Resources

A number of resources have been produced with funding from NDRR to assist GGA Network members in assessing impact after a natural disaster. These resources are only available to GGA Network members and can be found here.