Modernising irrigation
Yarrawonga, Victoria
Photo John Baker
In an average year irrigated agriculture uses 14,000 gigalitres (GL), this is about 65 per cent of all water use in Australia. However, this water is not used as efficiently as it could be:
- between 10 and 30 per cent of the water diverted from rivers into irrigation systems is lost before it reaches the farm gate
- up to 20 per cent of water delivered to the farm gate may be lost in distribution channels on-farm and around 60 per cent of water used for irrigation on farms is applied using high volume, ineffective gravity irrigation methods
- around 10-15 per cent of water applied to crops is lost through over watering, whereas scheduling tools and observational data could more precisely match water application to crop water requirements
- inaccurate measurement of water diversions from rivers and water use on farms is leading to unintentional and intentional over use
Government action
Under the $12.9 billion national water plan, Water for the Future, the Australian Government will modernise Australian irrigation. While national in scope, the prime focus will be the Murray-Darling Basin, where 85 per cent of irrigation takes place. This program will generate water savings of over 3,000 GL per year, with over 2,500 GL per year saved in the Murray-Darling Basin. Water savings will be shared 50 per cent with irrigators to help meet the challenge of declining water availability and to position the agriculture sector for the future. The remaining 50 per cent will be used to address over-allocation and to sustain river health.
The Water for the Future plan will help to increase yields and profitability by stimulating the adoption of technology to better match water application to plant needs. Added benefits of this transformation will be significant savings in labour costs and time through remote or automated control of previously manual tasks. These interventions will sustain the viability of rural communities and the health of rivers and groundwater resources, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin.
- On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency (Pilot Projects) Program
- Groundwater
- Murray-Darling Basin
- Water metering
See also
- Australian Water Resources 2005
- Council of Australian Governments' Water Reform Framework
- Lake Eyre Basin Agreement
- Living Murray Initiative
- Meteorological information for primary industry and natural resources management
- Murray-Darling Basin Authority
- National Framework for Improved Groundwater Management in Australia
- National Principles for the Provision of Water for Ecosystems
- National Water Initiative
Key
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