Australian vegetable growers are often perceived as being progressive and innovative when it comes to using water wisely – now there’s a report to prove it.

Water specialists from across the nation have pooled their collective knowledge on water use in the vegetable industry to come up with the report titled Australian vegetable crops – maximising returns from water.

Along with a detailed description of water use in the major vegetable production regions and associated river catchments, the report highlights the advances and investments that enabled the vegetable industry to achieve high water efficiencies.

NSW Department of Primary Industries district horticulturist at Yanco, Mark Hickey, explained the results underscore the relatively low water use in the vegetable industry in terms of the high value of national output.

“The value to the Australian economy is significant,” Mr Hickey said.

“For every 1,000 meglitre of water used, the vegetable industry contributed to $7.7 million of total regional output, and 80 jobs, according the last ABS survey conducted in 2001.”

The report also provides a description of market orientation including domestic, processing and exports.

At the farm level, the value return from vegetable production per megalitre increased from $1,762 per megalitre used in 1996/97 to $3,207/ML in 2000/01 (ABS 2001).

Mr Hickey says the report helps explain the productivity increases, which can be partly attributed to increased use of water efficient delivery systems such as drip irrigation, increased use of recycling on farm, wide scale adoption of irrigation scheduling and soil moisture monitoring and a tendency towards whole farm planning and soil mapping.

“Although more difficult to measure, some part of that increase in product value is most likely related to quality improvements as a direct result of improved irrigation practices,” he said.

“For instance, sub-surface drip irrigation tends to keep fruiting crops such as rockmelons cleaner and therefore more attractive to the consumer.”

Case studies were also conducted with vegetable growers who have recently switched to more water efficient irrigation systems.

These case studies detail the costs and benefits which flow from a technology shift, and demonstrate that real investments being made in the industry at farm level.

Funded by Horticulture Australia, the report was a joint initiative of NSW Department of Primary Industries water specialists at Yanco, their colleagues in five states, and CSIRO Land and Water.

The report also identifies issues for possible future research, which are likely to maximise returns on grower investment into water from research and development funds.

Mr Hickey said the report would act as key reference on resource use for the Australian vegetable industry for many years to come, and pointed the way for further improvement to be made.

Contact Mark Hickey, Yanco, (02) 6951 2523, (0427) 401 474