A VICTORIAN Government initiative, which aims to support women in rural communities to help manage the effects of drought and climate change, will be extended by a $660,000 state budget boost.Addressing the Rural Women in a Changing Climate state forum yesterday, Premier John Brumby said the upcoming state budget would allocate the additional funds to the Rural Women, Drought and Climate change initiative until at least 2011."Our Government is taking action to ensure women are supported to strengthen and sustain family farms, businesses and communities across Victoria,'' Mr Brumby said. "Victoria has experienced prolonged drought for the past decade and our regional and rural communities are feeling the impact of our changing climate."We need to understand and manage climate change; we need to better prepare ourselves for the challenges and opportunities that it will bring, and we also need to build the capacity of rural communities to adapt to change."The initiative was established by the Government in 2006, and it involves officers working with women in Hume, Loddon Mallee, Gippsland, Barwon South West and the Grampians to develop individual, family and community activities and responses to address the local effects of drought and changing climate conditions.