Hameer is one of the five researchers into drought resilience who was awarded the inaugural Vic Hub Drought Resilience Scholarship

Project title: Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Agricultural Drought Vulnerability with Farmers’ Perspective in North-West Victoria

This study uses GIS to understand historic changes in drought vulnerability in north-western Victoria. Focusing on the period 2006-21, the project uses key statistics related to farm level impacts of drought such as wheat production, profitability, land use, and farm water use coupled with broader social and physical statistics to describe the relative vulnerability of LGA’s in north-west Victoria to drought.

A GIS – or geographic information system – captures, stores, checks and displays data related to positions on the Earth’s surface. This ’National Geographic’ education article explains more.

Here we asked Hameer about his research, including what the Vic Hub scholarship means for his work, how his research will help Australian farming and rural & regional communities both prepare for and be resilient to drought, along with highlights of his work so far.

Q. When did you begin your research? When are you anticipating finishing?

A. I commenced my research in August 2023 as part of my Masters project. I recently completed the project – in late June 2024 – and am now working on incorporating the feedback I received after examination to refine and enhance the analysis.

Q. How will your research help Australian farming and rural & regional communities prepare for drought, and be drought resilient?

A. The direct contribution of my research will be in aiding local decision-makers in planning targeted drought-vulnerability reduction and resilience-building strategies. This would be achieved by identifying the priority local government areas of agricultural drought vulnerability in North-West Victoria. The understanding of these areas is of value as it can be used as a decision-support tool to allow targeted policy interventions.

Q. What does the Vic Hub scholarship mean for your work? What will it enable you to do that you wouldn’t have been able to do previously?

A. The scholarship will allow me to implement advanced GIS models to facilitate better spatial and temporal vulnerability analysis. With the scholarship’s support, I will gain access to the premium GIS features.

Q. What drew you to agriculture?

A. Coming from an agricultural family with lived experiences of drought and water-scarce life in the Thar Desert, I was inspired to pursue and contribute to the topic of agricultural droughts. This personal connection drives my dedication to finding effective solutions to mitigate the impacts of drought on farming communities.

Q. What’s a highlight for you so far in your project research?

A. A major project highlight is that the agricultural drought vulnerability has gradually decreased over time in the North-West Victoria region from 2011 to 2021. The areas on the northern borders of the region, including the LGA’s of Mildura and Swan Hill, are highly vulnerable to agricultural droughts.