Water in Australian Agriculture

Water use has reached the limits of sustainable water extraction in many areas of Australia. This chapter explores how water is currently used in Australian agriculture, the policy responses of governments and the likely policy and industry challenges over the coming decades. It also examines how water reform has facilitated sustainable agricultural production, encouraging the innovative use of scarce inputs. In Australia and elsewhere, climate change will force many agricultural producers to question whether their product mix is best suited to likely future climatic conditions. Public policy has a role to play in ensuring the farming sector understands these new risks to water resources and opportunities and options to manage them.

Mexico water reform may prove a step too far for AMLO

Subject Water decrees. Significance President Enrique Pena Nieto last month signed ten decrees lifting bans on accessing water from 295 hydrological basins across Mexico. The move caused controversy with press reports claiming they amount to the ‘back-door’ privatisation of more than half of Mexico’s lakes and rivers. It has since been clarified that the changes do not mean privatisation, but President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) and his proposed Energy Minister Rocio Nahle have promised to abrogate the decrees. Impacts Without addressing pollution and waste, the decrees’ impact will be marginal in improving water management. Any regulation changes risk exacerbating socio-environmental conflicts, particularly in areas already lacking sufficient supply. Worsening climate and demographic pressures will make water reform increasingly urgent.

Local stakeholder judgements of the social acceptability of applying environmental water in the Gunbower Island forest on the Murray River, Australia

Australian governments have purchased large volumes of water from irrigators to decrease the amount of water diverted for agriculture to improve the health of the Murray River. Irrigation entitlements ‘bought back’ are managed by government agencies and are broadly described as ‘environmental water’. The water reform process, the volume of water bought back from irrigators and the objectives and application of environmental water are all contested by irrigators and local communities. This paper provides the first examination of the social acceptability of environmental water in Australia with a case study of Gunbower Island on the Murray River using a survey of local stakeholders. Most respondents visited Gunbower Island regularly, placed a high value on the island and were committed to maintaining the health of the island. Nevertheless, respondents were more likely to exhibit unfavourable judgements about environmental water. Positive judgements were associated with pro-environmental values, belief in the benefits of environmental water and higher levels of trust in the managing agency. Findings provide insights about how the key agency can improve the social acceptability of environmental water in Gunbower Island, including a greater focus on on-ground work as an opportunity to engage local people in learning and action.