Ravensthorpe Agriculture Initiative Network (R.A.I.N) is a professional organisation that provides the means to grow and share knowledge about sustainable land management, and thereby contribute to the prosperity and well being of the Ravensthorpe community.
To promote long term profitable agricultural systems and responsible natural resource management through proactive community involvement in the Ravensthorpe region.
RAIN has an excellent track record undertaking activities such as field days and workshops, catchment resource assessment, project planning, soil health activities, revegetation, protection of remnant vegetation, establishment of perennial pastures, control of pest plants and animals and community engagement and awareness of environmental and land management issues.
The success of RAIN can be attributed to its community support, its grass-roots approach to problem solving and its ability to relate to land managers, partners and investors.
RAIN has an important role in supporting the various catchment and production based groups of the area as well as promoting wider community participation in landcare activities.
Each group has its own goals, opportunities and challenges and RAIN is well-positioned to develop and/or support activities tailored to meet the needs of each group. This will be through the identification and achievement of environmental and production goals to address issues such as declining membership, succession planning, drought impacts on landholders or changes in land ownership in local communities.
More broadly across the community RAIN will continue to raise awareness and involvement in landcare among schools and the broader community through a range of communication activities, and at community events. These events can also be a vehicle for providing information to the community on emerging issues and opportunities.
RAIN will, in all of its activities, endeavour to apply the principles of:
The Ravensthorpe Shire covers an area 1,367,287 hectares of which approximately 60% remains uncleared with 85% of this area being parks and reserves. The main land use in the region is made up mixed farming practises, predominantly dryland cropping and grazing enterprises.
The region also has increasing mining activity and a growing tourism industry. The region is home to an extensive array of flora and fauna including a large number of threatened and endangered species.
The major land development took place in the 1960’s with the release of conditional purchase “new land” allocations. Farming has proved to be both challenging and rewarding