Optimising electricity and water use for sustainable irrigation farming

Abstract

Irrigation farming profitability is increasingly coming under pressure due to the rising cost of pumping irrigation water. The dependence of commercial agriculture on electricity as a source of energy to pump water will likely continue in future, even though electricity tariffs are rising. This will require irrigators to balance the cost of applying irrigation water with the expected economic benefit from doing so. Thus, the old paradigm with the biological objective of applying irrigation water to sustain maximum production will be replaced with the new paradigm where water use is optimised to increase profitability. Irrigation farmers will need to evaluate different options to manage energy and water use in future. Significant opportunities exist for irrigation farmers to reduce energy costs through irrigation system design and operating practices to improve profitability. The design of an irrigation system and the operating practice needs to be evaluated in order to reduce energy costs.

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