Queensland Rural Water Use Efficiency Initiative (RWUEI) and its Demonstrated Role in Community Engagement with the Irrigation Industry

Okello-Okanya J¹*

1. Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Water Management and Use Division; Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

With increasing competition on available water resources, Queensland (like other Australian States) has long recognised the need to improve performance in irrigation industry to ensure availability, competitiveness, profitability and environmental sustainability. Australia is a dry continent with much of its agricultural production heavily dependent upon irrigation. Rainfall conditions are extremely variable; often dominated by droughts. With future increasing demands, challenge for Queensland irrigated agriculture is development of smarter ways to accommodate such demands while ensuring resource sustainability. Water usage and management by irrigators must therefore be based fundamentally on efficiency.

Governments have a variety of ways of engaging people or influencing them in development activities. By focussing on the farm the Queensland government Rural Water Use Efficiency Initiative (RWUEI) has been able to engage (work) directly with growers (who are by far the largest users and therefore with biggest impact on the sustainability of the state’s water resources; to help them identify areas to improve their water use efficiency on the farm. In active partnership with major 4 irrigation organisational bodies – Canegrowers, Cotton Australia, Queensland Dairy Farmers Organisation, and Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers – RWUEI has managed to make overwhelming improvements in irrigation efficiencies across the State.

According to independent valuation report, the 4 industry organisations achieved well beyond their Phase I (19992003) expected targets, in both productivity and water savings; with a demonstrated strong farmer participation and interest of 8090% across the industries. Experienced project field extension officers (“irrigation experts”) worked along with growers to run on-farm trials and R&D projects, collected and collated data that formed the newly adopted irrigation practices and guidelines. Water committee groups openly discussed irrigation issues, with on-farm training conducted through formal extension including information communication and networking. With such partnership, government reinforced its working relationships with stakeholders and other agencies associated with water resource management; and re-affirmed trust and confidence. RWUEI also displayed great potential for wider application by effectively reaching all growers, retaining and creating rural employment and demonstrating effectiveness of incentives in facilitating adoption. Perception on water and impact of reform policies also emerged.

RWUEI’s overwhelming success was recognised with a National Irrigation Award for 200203 (under ‘Best working relationships with the water industry’) and was also extended to Phase 2.

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