CSIRO's national irrigation research and development program is addressing a range of issues to improve Australia's water utilisation.
Irrigation overview and challenges
Agriculture is by far the largest user of water in Australia and internationally.
Increasing the productivity of water through smart water technologies at the irrigation system level will help to reduce the pressure on already over-taxed water resources and will promote food security and livelihoods of particularly the regional communities.
Australia’s main river basins are under mounting pressure to satisfy a wide range of competing economic, social and environmental needs for water, particularly in terms of environmental flows and efficient irrigation.
A better understanding of innovative water measurement and management technologies at sub-farm scales will not only allow farmers to better utilise both the moisture in their soil and their limited water allocation for irrigation, but will also allow irrigation authorities and government agencies to better monitor and understand water use efficiency and water stress down to individual farms.
CSIRO collaborates with Australia’s irrigated and rain-fed agriculture to help reduce environmental impacts and improve their capacity to respond to climate change and variability.
Irrigation areas are complex biophysical, social, economic and political systems. Better management requires the ability to consider a variety of land-use options:
In an average year irrigated agriculture uses 14 000 gigalitres (GL) of water, which is about 70 per cent of all water used in Australia. However, this water is not used as efficiently as it could be as:
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between 10 and 30 per cent of the water diverted from rivers into irrigation systems is lost before it reaches the farm gate
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up to 20 per cent of water delivered to the farm gate may be lost in distribution channels on-farm and around 60 per cent of water used for irrigation on farms is applied using high volume, ineffective gravity irrigation methods
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more than 10 to 15 per cent of water applied to crops is lost through over watering, whereas scheduling tools and observational data could more precisely match water application to crop water requirements
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inaccurate measurement of water diversions from rivers and water use on farms is leading to unintentional and intentional over use.
CSIRO solutions
CSIRO’s national irrigation research and development program is addressing issues such as:
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water savings
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water allocation
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combined use of surface and ground water systems
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groundwater dependent irrigation systems
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water reuse
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seasonal and long term climate risk management
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irrigation system harmonisation.
CSIRO’s irrigation research covers most of Australia and a variety of conditions.
We are collaborating with Australia’s irrigated and rain-fed agriculture and associated industries to help them reduce environmental impacts and improve their capacity to respond to climate change and variability. Our science will deliver the predictive capacity that links practical management actions on-farm with catchment environmental response.
Globally, 15 per cent (230 Mha) of the total cultivated area is irrigated. The world population is increasing rapidly and the increased food and fibre demand will heavily rely on the efficient use of existing irrigation water supplies and sustainable reuse of wastewater, as there are no more untapped renewable water resources in most parts of the world.
CSIRO irrigation research is helping international communities develop water management tools to match irrigation footprint in a whole of the watershed context.
Across Australia, from the South-West of Western Australia, along the Murray Darling Basin and through northern Australia, CSIRO is providing irrigation solutions such as:
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assessing water yields
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identifying irrigation seepage hotspots
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identifying realisable irrigation water savings
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improving irrigation scheduling
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developing national effluent irrigated plantation guidelines, and
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developing farming systems with reduced deep drainage losses.
FullStop is a sensor that we developed that detects the downward movement of irrigation water in soils, enabling farmers to see when enough water has been applied.
The SWAGMAN® series of models provides the irrigation sector with tools that allow irrigators, resource managers and the community to make informed decisions about managing water within the long-term limits of resource availability.
The Murray-Darling Basin Sustainable Yields project has provided the first basin-wide assessment of the impact of a changing climate on surface and groundwater resources.
Collaborative approach
CSIRO offers consulting, research and technology services working in partnership with other agencies.
Internationally, through CSIRO Global Development, UNESCO’s Hydrology, Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) program and other partnerships, we also deliver innovative modelling tools and applications that boost irrigation efficiency, optimise water use and reduce contamination.
CSIRO irrigation researchers have existing linkages and research activities with:
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Asian Development Bank
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Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
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Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
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Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
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Challenge Program on Water and Food
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Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
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International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
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UNESCO
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United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
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World Bank
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international governments.
CSIRO’s irrigation systems research has gained recognition from UNESCO and the World Meterological Organization (WMO) through the selection of the Murrumbidgee in NSW as the first global reference basin and the appointment of Charles Sturt University and CSIRO as the regional coordinators for Australasia HELP catchments.
CSIRO expertise and research capability
Our expertise in irrigation research also includes:
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systems-level irrigation analysis through effective use of our disciplinary strengths in irrigation and drainage engineering, hydrology, and irrigation systems modelling (linked to climate forecasting)
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a strong field and laboratory measurement capability that enables us to advance understanding of landscape processes, undertake detailed verification of our modelling and other hydrological analyses, and develop methods for the prediction of soil attributes
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a solution focus.
Our research capabilities in irrigation research include:
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irrigation systems measurement and modelling using spatial technologies
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accounting systems to allocate surface and ground water as a single resource
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analysis of irrigation demand and supply considering climate variability and change irrigation and drainage engineering
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catchment and groundwater hydrology
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multi-criteria decision-support systems for examining environmental needs within irrigated areas.
National research flagships
To meet Australia’s irrigation, water use and climate change challenges, CSIRO leads three major national collaborative partnerships:
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the Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship
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the Wealth from Oceans National Research Flagship
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the Climate Adaptation National Research Flagship.
Read more about the work of the Climate Adaptation Flagship, the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship and the Wealth from Oceans Flagship.
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