A State approach to ensuring the long term viability of irrigated farming areas of Victoria
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A State approach to ensuring the long term viability of irrigated farming areas of Victoria
Bryony Grice Manager Sustainable Irrigation
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Main types of irrigated agriculture in northern Victoria
Horticulture
• Primarily in Northern Victoria (GMID and Sunraysia)
• Non-interruptible – due to no substitutes for water, fixed plantings
• Gross value of farm production $1.1 billion in 2007/08
• A number of major processors including Sunbeam, SPC Ardmona, Unilever
• Over 8,700 people employed directly in farming and processing (2005-06)
Dairy
• Primarily in GMID• Semi-interruptible –
purchased fodder and water sales can replace pasture, but not always profitable
• Farm gate production $873 million (07/08)
• 15 dairy factories operated by five major companies
• Over 7,000 people employed directly in farming and processing
• 30% of Victoria’s milk production, 20% of national production
• Water entitlement holding valued at $2.62 billion
Crops & Fodder
• Primarily in GMID• Interruptible – farmers can
irrigate or sell water• Hay and silage crops
produce fodder for dairy industry
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How is water use changing?2005 water availability and use
Allocations Murray Goulburn
2004/05 100% 100%
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How is water use changing? 2008 water availability and use
Allocations Murray Goulburn
200708 43% 57%
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Water market facilitating change Trend in increased trade of allocation
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Problem of variable water availability
Less reliable entitlements for all• Urban water users
– Longer, more frequent and more severe water restrictions• Irrigators
– Zero allocations, no delivery of water, no effective carryover trade• Groundwater and upper catchment users
– Increased time on restrictions/bans, increased groundwater use, less reliable farm dams, higher proportion of water captured in farm dams
• Environment– Less frequent floods, loss of river red gum forest, fewer bird breeding
events, fewer native fish, degraded wetlands Trees
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Solving the Problem – A Sustainable Water Strategy
Ingredients include:
1. Science – to inform (not drive) decision-making and to help defend decisions
2. Plan manager – to provide conceptual framework, drive collaboration and engagement processes
3. Regional delivery agents – to ground-truth information and decisions to make sure plan in able to be implemented
4. Community champions – to help make sure impacts of decisions are included in plan and make sure community members are engaged.
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Reforming Water to enable growth
• Modernisation– GMID/Sunraysia– Environmental manager and works
• Water register – Security of entitlements– Probity– Efficient transactions
• Enhanced water products – Unbundling (trade of allocations critical)– Carryover/Spillable water account maximise flexibility, protect entitlements
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Key tools for adapting & risk managementfor all entitlement holders
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Modernisation – a total approach
• Institutions
• Markets & entitlements
• Investment in modernising public infrastructure
• Investment in modernising private (on farm) infrastructure
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Irrigation Modernisation Outcomes
• Smarter, more efficient and effective use of water
• Viable system which is affordable to users in the future
• One that supports the irrigator but also the community
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A Total Approach
• More than the public system is important:– Drainage– Farm use– Impacts on third parties and environment – Legacy of history cost– Supplying world food demand
• A total approach enabling irrigators to make the best product possible to meet growing demands