Research to take irrigation practices to the next level

The Tasmanian Government will invest $1.6 million into research that will help farmers to understand what influences irrigation efficiency and to adopt practices that minimise environmental impacts.

Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Jane Howlett, said irrigation is a game-changer for Tasmania’s farmers and the Agricultural Innovation Fund (AIF) Project: Growing value from irrigation for Tasmanian agriculture would take it to the next level.

“Access to irrigation water gives farmers the confidence to grow higher value crops and employ more Tasmanians,” Minister Howlett said. 

“The Tasmanian Government knows irrigation plays a vital role for us to deliver our long-term goal to grow Tasmania’s farmgate value to $10 billion by 2050. 

“We have invested significantly to expand irrigation capacity in Tasmania, with 19 Tasmanian Irrigation schemes now in operation, delivering more than 133,000 megalitres of irrigation water each year.

“This project, which will be run by Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) and Tasmanian Irrigation, will deliver improved information about the value of irrigation to Tasmania and how we can make our irrigation systems more effective and efficient.”

The project has three practical objectives:

• Determine the value derived from irrigation to Tasmania to inform government policy and funding decisions and to aid farmers in their investment decisions;
• Increase knowledge and adoption of practices that optimise irrigation efficiency; and
• Investigate irrigation management to minimise environmental impacts and maximise economic returns.

Professor Caroline Mohammed from the Tasmanian Institute for Agriculture said the research program will look at boosting sustainability and profitability for Tasmanian farmers through the efficient use of irrigation.

“Our research program is examining the current use of centre pivot irrigators to evaluate irrigation performance and support improvements to on-farm practices,” Professor Mohammed said.

“Over the longer-term, this could result in benefits including reduced water logging, reduction of crop losses, and improved soil health.

“Our aim is to build sustainable and climate resilient irrigation farming systems in Tasmania.”

Tasmanian Irrigation general manager Program Development and Delivery Jacob Gerke said investment in irrigation is not just good for farms and farming communities, but for the wider Tasmanian economy.

“Having access to current data on that value will help make a case for ongoing investment in irrigation infrastructure,” Mr Gerke said.

“For every dollar farmers spend buying water for irrigation, they will spend up to another two dollars in on-farm investment, which stimulates local job creation and increases spending in regional communities.”

Mr Gerke said the environmental component of TIA’s research dovetailed with the work already being done with farmers to ensure the application of irrigation does not cause or contribute to environmental harm.

The Tasmanian Government has a strong record of supporting the agriculture sector with projects like these and our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future builds on that support.