In this section:
Irrigation Efficiency
What it is and Can we Improve it?
Mark A Skewes, Irrigated Crop Management Service, Primary Industries & Resources SA, Loxton, South Australia
Anthony P Meissner, South Australian Research and Development Institute, Loxton, South Australia
Abstract
Much has been said about irrigation efficiency in recent years. Irrigators are being encouraged to become more efficient in an effort to reduce the levels of environmental damage due to irrigation and to conserve Australia’s precious water resources.
A number of assumptions are often made about this process. The first is that the target audience, irrigators, understand what is meant by irrigation efficiency and that they know how efficiently they are irrigating. The second is that they have access to the knowledge necessary to improve their efficiency, and the third is that they are motivated to change.
A suite of indicators of irrigation performance were developed, and sample groups of irrigation units assessed and compared. Levels of performance were compared within these sample groups and with benchmark information from other sources, including international sources. Case studies of the best performers were used to develop best management practices for irrigation.
The performance indicators that were developed take into account the volumes of irrigation applied and of drainage produced, but they also include measures of water cost, productivity and return from the irrigation enterprise, such that, given appropriate relative values, the overall efficiency of different irrigation enterprises can be compared.
The benchmark performance indicators and best management practices developed provide the knowledge base for irrigators to assess their own irrigation efficiency, to compare themselves to other irrigators, and to make adjustments to their practices in order to improve their efficiency. The process of benchmarking, where irrigators compare themselves against other irrigators, can act as a powerful motivation in itself, and this is explored as a strategy for encouraging irrigators to assess and improve their irrigation efficiency.
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