Lifting irrigated cropping profitability and water use efficiency
Summary
This project aims to understand and encourage the adoption of profitable, water use efficient irrigation and cropping systems more widely from Northern Victoria to Lachlan Valley.
It will also conduct a survey on irrigation layouts and rotations.
Specifically, the project will:
- Review extension and demonstration of current knowledge of water use efficient irrigation, crop production and rotations for higher value production from irrigation.
- Analyse the economic returns and costs of production at an individual farm level.
- Survey farmers to gain an understanding of the barriers to adoption of higher value rotations.
by:
- Conducting a survey into barriers to adoption of higher value irrigated farming systems.
- Surveying results collated and analysed by a Masters student and recommendations made on how to overcome barriers.
- Completing the MIA economic model and scaling it up to consider the various cropping systems across all four valleys.
- Extending economic modelling to advisers across all four valleys.
The results of this project will be important to all broadacre irrigated industries and six thousand farmers across the Southern Murray Darling Basin.
Funding agencies
- NSW Department of Primary Industries
- Grains R&D Corporation
- Rural Industries R&D Corporation
- Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation
Leader
John Lacy
Yanco