South Australian farmers, growers, winemakers and forestry businesses are set to benefit from a new $8 million fund aimed at developing the next generation of agricultural technology and research.
The State Government has launched the Primary Industries Future Forward Fund, which will invest in industry-led projects across South Australia’s grains, livestock, dairy, horticulture, wine, spirits, seafood, fisheries and forestry sectors over the next four years.
The fund is focused on research and new technology that can help producers lift productivity, respond to environmental and market pressures, improve sustainability and prepare for biosecurity threats and other emerging challenges.
It will also support projects aimed at building the primary industries workforce and promoting South Australian agriculture, food and wine.
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven said the fund was about ensuring ideas being developed in South Australia could respond directly to the challenges producers are facing.
“The Primary Industries Future Forward Fund is about backing agricultural research and innovation that is industry-led and aimed at advancing primary production and forestry in our state,” Minister Scriven said.
The $8 million investment will be delivered over four years and sits alongside the State Government’s $50 million Research and Productivity Fund announced in the 2026–27 State Budget. PIRSA describes the Future Forward Fund as an investment designed to improve the prosperity, sustainability and resilience of South Australia’s primary producers.
The announcement comes 150 years after Yorke Peninsula brothers Richard and Clarence Smith developed the stump-jump plough, an invention designed to make cultivating mallee country easier and which went on to be used well beyond South Australia.
The government says it hopes the new fund can help encourage another generation of homegrown agricultural innovation.
Primary Producers SA Chair Professor Simon Maddocks said continued research and development was important as producers dealt with changing climate conditions, global economic uncertainty and rising input costs.
“South Australia has a dynamic agricultural innovation ecosystem, with industry and government working together in key research, development and delivery pathways,” Professor Maddocks said.
Projects seeking funding will be expected to align with existing industry strategies covering sectors including grain, wine, red meat and wool, dairy, horticulture, spirits and timber.
The fund adds to a broader range of grants and programs available through PIRSA for South Australian primary producers and regional businesses.
The Primary Industries Future Forward Fund will invest in:
- Innovation, research and development, and cutting-edge technologies to increase productivity and capability
- Promotion of South Australian agriculture, food and wine
- Capability-building for primary producers to respond to environmental and market pressures
- Increased sustainability credentials throughout the supply chain
- Strengthening and developing the primary industries workforce
- Sector preparedness for environmental disruptions, biosecurity threats and other emerging issues.
Projects should also align with key industry masterplans, blueprints, or other strategic plans or reports, including (but not limited to):
- SA Grain Industry Blueprint 2025-2035
- South Australian Wine Industry Association’s Key Priorities 2025-2028
- Wine Grape Council SA Strategic Plan 2025-2027
- SA Red Meat and Wool Blueprint 2030
- Chicken Meat Strategic Plan
- South Australian Dairy Industry Action Plan 2024-2029
- South Australian Horticultural Industry Blueprint 2025
- SA Spirit Industry Blueprint
- South Australian Wood Fibre and Timber Industry Master Plan
To find out more about the Primary Industries Future Forward Fund, including guidelines and how to apply, visit pir.sa.gov.au/future-forward-fund.
