Horticulture
The Australian horticulture industry and water use
Horticulture is extremely important to the prosperity of Australia, both in a rural and urban context. The horticulture industry includes production horticulture (fruit, vegetables and wine) and ornamental horticulture (turf and landscape).
The gross value of production of horticulture in Australia was $6.7 billion (2002) with a farm gate value of over $5 billion. This figure can be broken down into fruit and nuts ($3.6 B), vegetables ($2.3 B) and nursery production ($0.8 B).
In 2002-03, horticulture was the fastest growing agricultural industry in Australia with 17,273 enterprises and approximately 64,000 people employed (Horticulture Australia, 2004). Every 100 ML of water used in horticulture generates $250,000, 4 jobs at farm gate and adds $1 million to the economy (Horticulture Australia Water Initiative, 2003).
Horticulture production is intensive in terms of resource use (i.e. capital, labour, fertilisers, chemicals, and water). Continued development of the horticulture industry is dependent upon growers implementing sustainable practises- those that avoid negatively impacting on the environment and promote efficient use of resources, including water.
In recent years, the emergence of a number of water-related issues (i.e. rising water tables, salinisation, surface and ground water contamination, reduced river flows, and water supply security) has brought attention to the importance of water use efficiency.
The gross value of production of horticulture in Australia was $6.7 billion (2002) with a farm gate value of over $5 billion. This figure can be broken down into fruit and nuts ($3.6 B), vegetables ($2.3 B) and nursery production ($0.8 B).
In 2002-03, horticulture was the fastest growing agricultural industry in Australia with 17,273 enterprises and approximately 64,000 people employed (Horticulture Australia, 2004). Every 100 ML of water used in horticulture generates $250,000, 4 jobs at farm gate and adds $1 million to the economy (Horticulture Australia Water Initiative, 2003).
Horticulture production is intensive in terms of resource use (i.e. capital, labour, fertilisers, chemicals, and water). Continued development of the horticulture industry is dependent upon growers implementing sustainable practises- those that avoid negatively impacting on the environment and promote efficient use of resources, including water.
In recent years, the emergence of a number of water-related issues (i.e. rising water tables, salinisation, surface and ground water contamination, reduced river flows, and water supply security) has brought attention to the importance of water use efficiency.
To improve water use efficiency, growers and irrigation managers should:
- Use irrigation methods that are appropriate to the crop
- Monitor and maintain irrigation system performance
- Manage water application in terms of needs of the site and local weather conditions.
Benefits
The benefits of saving water in horticulture include:
- Increased savings through reduced water and pumping costs;
- Reduced leaching of nutrients (and hence, reduced fertilizer application);
- Lower energy requirements for pumping;
- Reduced amount of drainage water and surface runoff;
- Additional water for expansion or trading; and
- Less impact on environment.