Efforts by a north Queensland banana farm to protect the health of the Great Barrier Reef have been recognised on the national stage.

Based near Silkwood, just 10 km from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Gaia Farms recently won a category of the 2011 Banksia Awards – the country's most hotly contested environmental accolades.

The family business, which has received valuable support from the Queensland Government, was presented with the 'Agriculture and Food – From Paddock to Plate Sustainably' award for demonstrating leadership and innovation in moving to more sustainable and productive agricultural practices.Constructed wetland at the Gaia Farm near Silkwood

'We think of this as an award for the banana industry, because there are many other growers like us who are farming in an environmentally friendly way," said Mike Gaia.

'It's through cooperative effort and a process of trialling, learning and continual improvement that we have got to where we are today."

Banksia Award judges commended Mike, Renee and their son Brett on their holistic farm management, from practices that improve soil and plant health and reduce chemical use, to actions that reduce run-off such as providing buffers and groundcover between rows of bananas.

The judges said their approach provided a good potential solution to the issue of nutrient, sediment and chemical outflow to the Great Barrier Reef, while maintaining commercial scale production.

Of particular note was the Gaia family's latest endeavour to further protect downstream waterways by transforming an unproductive part of the 95 hectare property to a 2.45 hectare wetland to capture and treat farm runoff.

The wetland was a collaborative project, funded by the Gaia family, Queensland Wetlands Program and Terrain Natural Resource Management through 'Reef Rescue' with design and construction help from the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) and Growcom.

DEEDI extension officer Carla Wegscheidl said the Gaia farm is a perfect example of how good business and environment outcomes can be achieved.

Brett, Mike and Rene Gaia accept their Banksia Award

"The family is really taking a whole of system approach, and it shows how you can tick all the boxes relating to production, profitability and good environmental management," she said.

"It also highlights the technical and financial support that's out there for producers who want to do more to improve production or profitability while protecting waterways around their farm."

On the Gaia property, the wetland benefits the health of the Liverpool creek – which flows directly to the reef lagoon – by replicating filtering that occurs in natural wetlands by slowing water flow to capture sediment and remove nutrients.

It does this through the use of dense vegetation which effectively "polishes" the water before it leaves the farm.

The wetland project was also the first of its kind to customise water sensitive urban design principles and stormwater modelling software into treating runoff in a rural production system.

Water quality monitoring is currently being carried out to determine whether the modelling has proved accurate in showing the wetland could remove almost half the phosphorous and suspended solids and a third of the nitrogen from the runoff from a 26 hectare part of the farm.

Mike Gaia said despite the setback from Cyclone Yasi earlier this year, the wetland is establishing well and has become a haven for wildlife and a focal point for the property.

"Already we have Burdekin ducks and other waterbirds feeding and breeding in the wetland and we have had a visit from a small saltwater crocodile," he said.

"Once established, the fringing wetland will provide habitat for birds, reptiles and insects that will in turn help to reduce pests."

The feature is just one of many significant changes implemented by the Gaia family after Cyclone Larry destroyed their entire banana crop in 2006, forcing them to reassess their farm operations.

For more than a decade, Mike, Rene and Brett have also been actively involved with the Australian Banana Growers Council and have worked on various research and trial projects with DEEDI and Growcom.

More recently, they have become a Reef Guardian Farmer through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's Reef Guardian program.

"Being able to work with government, industry groups and natural resource management bodies has helped us get technical support and grants like Reef Rescue to help us improve the way we do things," Mike said.

"Our intention is to keep on trying new and innovative ways of doing things, and right now we're focusing on ways to better recycle waste materials into useful products such as soil enhancers and animal feed."

Mike, Rene and Brett Gaia are also sharing their experience to help develop a best management practice manual for the banana industry, in conjunction with DEEDI and the Australian Banana Growers Council due for release in the next 12 months.