Improving irrigation efficiency in the cotton industry - a grower-led approach
Project details
| Objective: | To lift water use efficiency in the Gwydir Valley by 10 per cent through a combination of new on-farm technology and associated education activities. |
| Funding: | Up to $489,000 plus GST from the Australian Government towards cost associated with supporting the program. Total value of the project is $610,000 with $119,000 provided by the Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association. |
| Jurisdiction: | NSW |
| Commenced: | January 2008 |
| Completion: | 31 December 2010 |
Read about the project's progress.
About the project
The aim of the project is to facilitate a 10% increase in irrigation water use efficiency across the Gwydir Valley over three years, while developing an education and extension program aimed at an overall improvement in irrigation efficiency across the Australian cotton industry.
The project will work closely with leading Gwydir Valley irrigators to develop and quantify water-efficient irrigation practices and then, on a one-on-one basis, assist other valley irrigators to adopt similar practices.
Through on-ground projects, a range of different irrigation methodologies will be trialled side by side to demonstrate water-use efficiency on a range of crop types. It is estimated that less-efficient irrigators will achieve a 25-30% increase in water-use efficiency by adopting best available technology and advanced management strategies.
In addition, the three-year project will develop and deliver a short (1/2 day) cotton irrigation course to cotton growers across the irrigation regions of Queensland and NSW, and will conduct irrigation-specific field days and seminars and other extension activities.
The project will use cutting edge and innovative water-measuring and -tracking equipment and is designed to push the water-efficiency gains of innovative, leading irrigators and increase the adoption of irrigation-efficient practices among all irrigators. Monitoring and evaluation of the project outcomes will provide information for other regions and industries on the effectiveness of grower-led extensions activities.
Project benefits
The project will:
- lead to increased adoption and effective use of water-use efficiency technology within the Gwydir Valley by individual growers adopting the best available technology and advanced management strategies
- result in a 10% increase in water-use efficiency across the Gwydir Valley; monitoring and evaluation of the project outcomes will provide information for other regions and industries on the effectiveness of grower-led extensions activities
- demonstrate the effectiveness of grower-led extension activities on practice change.
The project will advance the National Water Initiative objectives of increasing efficiency of water use in agriculture.