How much water is used for irrigation?

How much water is used to irrigate different crops?

Are irrigators using water more efficiently?

What are cotton farmers doing to reduce their water use?

What are rice farmers doing to reduce their water use?

What are grape growers/vineyards doing to reduce their water use?

More Information

How much water is used for irrigation ?

During 2000/2001 water year

- NSW used apporximately 6943 GL
- Vic used 3230 GL
- QLD used 674 GL
- SA used 517 GL
- ACT used 50 GL

Total for the Basin is 11369 GL

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How much water is used to irrigate different crops?

Vegetables, fruit (including grapes) and sugar cane are the most intensively irrigated crops, with 78%, 70% and 47% respectively of their total growing areas sown being irrigated. However the total area of land irrigated, about 2.4million hectares in 2000 represents less than 1% of the total land use for agriculture.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

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Are irrigators using water more efficiently?

Generally yes. Irrigators pay for a specific water licence. So if irrigators wish to develop further, the only way they can do this is through making water savings to use the savings for new development.

If irrigators use more water than they have allocated, they will have to pay excess charges, which act as an incentive not to exceed allocation.

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What are cotton farmers doing to reduce their water use?

The Australian cotton industry have introduced Best Management Practises and it has been uintroduced to 95% of cotton growers.

Best Management Practises aim to acheive true sustainability through improved farm efficiency and productivity, combined with effective environmental protection and sound resource management.

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What are rice farmers doing to reduce their water use?

Rice Environmental Policy
The environmental policy is a statement of commitment agreed to by the membership of the Rice grower's Assocaition of Australia (RGA) to improve performance in all areas of environmental management and stewardship in their region.

Find out more

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What are grape growers/vineyards doing to reduce their water use?

Conversion to drip and micro sprinkler irrigation, rather than the overhead variety, provides a means for efficient use and direct application of water for vines.

The implementation of good irrigation systems in conjunction with appropriate scheduling techniques, which enable effective assessment of water content in soil, ensures that no more water is used than is absolutely necessary.

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Information

Websites

Cotton Australia

RiceGrower's Association of Australia

Australian Irrigation Association

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