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A response to the Guide to the proposed Murray-Darling Basin Plan

By Graeme Batten - posted Wednesday, 17 November 2010


Within any irrigation district the choice of crops which is seen today is based on the climate, the soils, the availability of extracted water and many years of genetic and agronomic research. Many of the "alternative" cropping options have been evaluated in the past and there are sound reasons for farmers not growing them. This situation is not unique to Australian farmers. In short there is a lot to be gained from seeking greater water use efficiency from the crops which are grown at present.

Regardless of the allocations which are set in the future there will be times of drought during which the gains in efficiency achieved today will more than repay the funds spent to achieve these gains. This approach will also make best use of the capital works already in place.

The record drought of the past 7 years has led to efficiencies in water utilization through changes in practices such as intermittent, as opposed to continuous, flooding of rice fields and adjustments to the mix of crops which received extracted water. The majority of the higher value vegetable, vine and tree crops are now grown with very efficient drip systems.

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But even here there are new technologies on the drawing boards which will lead to even more efficient use of water. The NWC Peter Cullen Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation in 2010 was awarded to Professor Bruce Sutton and A/Professor Gregory Leslie. Their environmentally-friendly piping system can deliver water at the rate the plants need it. This system can overcome the current need to apply water that is not taken up by plants.

The current debate recognises that extracted water in the MDB is overcommitted. The MDB is "only" 14% of the land area of Australia it is the predominant food bowl of Australia and produces 39% of the agricultural production. There have been calls such as that by Senator Heffernan about 6 years to relocate some irrigation production, possibly to the northern regions of Australia. This option should be re-visited and considered as part of the Sustainable Australia debate.

The overall aim for the current water debate should be better water use across Australia. This is in the long term interest of all Australians as we seek food security whilst we minimise the impact on the environmental with least disruption to highly productive agricultural communities.

The MDB is a living-working basin and decisions must be accepted by the majority of stakeholders.

Stakeholders in the water debate can reasonably expect goals to be set for all uses of water. This is essential so that the advantages and disadvantages of any re-allocation of water can be judged in the future. This means that goals for environmental uses of reallocated water must be stated and debated. At present the debate seems to be focussed on what happens to irrigators and their communities if allocations for irrigation are reduced.

Goals for improving water use efficiency by irrigators, industry and communities also need to be stated and debated. As an example of the goals for irrigation crops I have included Table 1. Similar goals are needed for water diverted or preserved for environmental purposes and water diverted to cities, towns and industry even if these are relatively small consumers compared to the irrigation industry.

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There will be general support for a reduction in SDLs (sustainable diversion limits) if users are able to achieve more efficient utilization of the water available. This would be a sound investment in Australia’s future because it would allow more water to be allocated for (defined) environmental benefits. But possibly of even greater importance, a more efficient irrigation industry would have a built in’ insurance measure’ for future drought years when allocations would be low by necessity.

If irrigators and the communities their activities support are to adjust to SDLs which are up to 45% below current SDLs they cannot be expected to do this on their own. Significant improvements in water use efficiency across the MDB can be achieved if:

  1. Sufficient time is allowed to achieve the efficiencies sought,
  2. There is a willingness on the part of State and Federal Governments, in cooperation with all sectors of the irrigation industry, to fund research and development of water-efficient irrigation

    · low water-demanding crop management practices,

    · infrastructure maintenance and upgrades (such as piping of open channels),

    · learning at all levels (University, TAFE, industry) as research and the extension of knowledge underpins the changes needed.

    With current knowledge savings of up to 30-40 % may be possible with some crops on some soils. Further work is need to identify and realise ways to achieve further gains.

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About the Author

Graeme D Batten is an Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney and an Adjunct Professor of Irrigation at Charles Sturt University. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Secretary The Australian Near Infrared Spectroscopy Group.

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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