Water Use Efficiency
Water use efficiency highlights
Each six months canegrowers prepares a milestone report outlining highlights and achievements of the Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources and Water-canegrowers-BSES Rural Water Use Efficiency Sugar Program. Some of these include:
• Preparation and distribution of an audio CD to over 80% of Queensland sugarcane growers – this features seven growers explaining their experiences with various good farm practices (please contact canegrowers with your comments about this CD).
• Innovative workshops highlighting the influence of various farm practices on water efficiency. For example, spray workshops in the northern and southern regions highlighted the importance that weed control can have on improving water efficiency.
• A successful Irrigation Week run in the Mackay district.
• Completion of the very successful financial incentives scheme for water efficient low pressure overhead irrigation systems.
• Progress of the financial incentives scheme for groundwater management in the Burdekin region, linking with the canegrowers-SRDC project in that area.
• Continuation of incentives for nutrient management (soil testing, leaf analysis) and water quality in north Queensland sugar districts.
• Linkages by RWUE Project Officers with the BSES-CSIRO WaterSense irrigation scheduling project.
• Irrigation systems performance tests and evaluations during and after technical support and irrigation workshops provided by the canegrowers-National Centre for Engineering and Agriculture and the CRC for Irrigation Futures.
With irrigation and water quality very important for growers and the overall sugar industry, canegrowers is exploring opportunities to continue the RWUE Project in areas that provide benefit to the industry. n
Rural Water Use Efficiency
RWUE is a Queensland State Government program which has funded the sugar industry with over $2million funding over four years to improve water use, productivity and profitability on Queensland cane farms which will also lead to improved outcomes for the environment.
The rural water use efficiency sugar program operates across 4 regions in Queensland, with each region covering different issues as outlined below;
Northern (Mossman, Tablelands, Wet Tropics and The Herbert)
Drainage, environmental benefit and increased profitability
Burdekin (Burdekin)
Irrigation, environmental benefit and increased profitability
Central (Proserpine, Mackay and Plane Creek)
Irrigation, drainage, better use of rainfall, environmental benefit and increased profitability
South (Bundaberg, Isis, Maryborough and Rocky Point)
Irrigation, better use of rainfall and increased profit
The program in each region will be developed and managed by a local management group comprising representative from the local canegrowers, millers, BSES, DNR and community groups. In addition, a project management group will be set up to manage the program across the industry comprising the 4 chairmen, a BSES and CANEGROWERS representative. The project will be run as an action-learning project with the local management groups using the action learning cycle.
RWUE Resources
http://www.bses.org.au/RWUE/default.htm
Funded by Queensland Government
RWUE is a Queensland State Government program which has funded the sugar industry with over $2million funding over four years to improve water use, productivity and profitability on Queesland cane farms which will also lead to improved outcomes for the environment.
Funded by Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources and Water
http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/rwue/index.html (link to the RWUE page on the NRW site)