Proposal: Wheatbelt Project


Proposed project for 2013-2016, Western Australian Wheatbelt Project (WAWP)

==Wheatbelt Project==

This proposal is for a multi-agency funded, multi-facted long term project.  As a collaboration between Western Australian users/editors, Wikimedia Australia, and other partners, to create a project to facilitate:

* Coverage of the Western Australian wheatbelt region and adjacent regions in content across all wikipedia projects.
* Increased participation in Wikimedia projects across the region, and over time.

== Mission Statement ==

The Western Australian Wheatbelt Project is a broad based project that aims to increase coverage across wikipedia projects, at the same time increasing participation, and knowledge of the wikipedia and the range of projects.

The increased participation would be to access across the widest range of interests and demographic groups that occur in the Western Australian wheatbelt, so that the new users would diversify and broaden the reach of Wikimedia projects and Wikimedia Australia.

The potential loss of information and knowledge about localities, communities and local government identities drives this project to bring knowledge and information about the whole wheatbelt into the wikipedia framework.

== Context ==

The Western Australian Wheatbelt region (and adjacent areas) has siginificant region based issues that affect the future and the cultural heritage of the region:

* Local government amalgamations
* Climate change affect on agricultural activity
* Population decline
* Infrastructure and facilities closing or suspension

The region is known to the proposer(s) over a period of over 40 years, and a significant set of material is in place to elaborate and expand upon existing content in wikipedia and related projects.

===Statistics===
* 43 shires, 160 towns, 72,000 residents
** 4 sub regions, Avon, Central Coast & Midlands, Central East, Central South
* Between 2001-02 and 2010-11 Western Australias wheatbelt region accounted for the largest proportion of Australia's wheat product 36% of total yield
* WA wheatbelt's annual production in excess of 7,000,000 Tonnes per year

sources:
* http://www.rdawheatbelt.com.au/Home.aspx
* http://www.landcommodities.com/crop-production-in-the-australian-wheatbelt/

== Contact ==

Contact with people within the full range of the wheatbelt communities is something that requires the early preparation of the project to be ''on the ground''.  The issues that arise from the initial stages of the project are of vital importance to create benchmarks of the expectations of the projects scope and capacity.  General progress indicators, performance outcomes of events and key stages of development need to be identified and clearl established for funding bodies and partners.

Iniitial funding for the appraisal and review of the scope of the project is an immediate component of the project.  It will be at this stage that the developing long term strategies will occur.

===Comment by Gnangarra===
The project idea was discussed at the last [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Perth/11 Perth meetup] there was general support from the editing community(though many arent WMAU members) who recognised both the lack of significant coverage and the issues surrounding the future of the region.

== Completed preparations ==

A privately conducted survey of some of the issues relating to the region exists, as well as the articles already existing in main space in wikipedia en, and images on commons.
Communities and local government authorities have been minimally contacted to date in relation to the project.

===Comment by Gnangarra.===
I have already commenced planning and working with one wheatbelt shire on building a WikiTown project, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Takes_Waroona another regional Shire](not in the Wheatbelt) as a result of Freopedia. This project would be a good fit to the continued momentum already established and provide the support network as more LGAs take an interest.


==Funding==
While the project will need some startup funding through chapter resources, future funding is available through various WA & Federal Government authorities, it envisaged that these sources would be the primary method of ongoing funding.


=Endorsement=
*Proposed by [[User:SatuSuro]]
*Supported by [[User:Gnangarra|Gnan]][[User_talk:Gnangarra|garra]] 15:29, 20 July 2013 (EST)

==Wiki Takes Western Australia Wheatbelt Railways 2013==

A component initiative of the larger Wheatbelt Project has already commenced: - 

* see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Takes_Western_Australian_Wheatbelt_Railways_2013  
* see https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wiki_Takes_Western_Australian_Wheatbelt_Railways_2013


==Proposal - this project is now also part of a grant application==

* For an IEG Grant - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IEG/Rural_Community_Engagement