Guy ROBINSON, University of Adelaide, Australia
Song BINGJIE, University of Adelaide, Australia
South Australia’s Riverland is one of Australia’s major producers of wine, citrus fruit and almonds. Horticulture in the region relies on irrigation water from the Murray-Darling River system, with distinctive rules for managing water through a Plan applied to the entire river basin. This study focuses on an area of c4900 ha where the Renmark Irrigation Trust (RIT) manages water supplies to 570 irrigators. Using focus groups, interviews with key informants and a questionnaire survey to sample irrigators, this paper addresses issues relating to the sustainable use of water, both to improve the environmental condition of the riverine ecosystem and to maintain commercial horticultural production in an increasingly multifunctional landscape. Local environmental sustainability has improved since 2016 via an environmental watering programme between the RIT and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. Targeted on twelve sites, this is restoring the river’s floodplain. Possibilities for expanding this onto individual farms in a Water Stewardship Scheme are investigated.
Surveys of irrigators focused on recent and proposed changes to production, decision-making factors and risk. The spiralling cost of water is seen as a major problem as is fear of drought associated with impacts of climate change. Changes in on-farm specialisation reflected changing market conditions, with almonds currently proving more profitable than wine grapes or citrus. Niche crops such as Asian vegetables, persimmons and pistachios offer other possibilities for maintaining livelihoods. However, the generally small size of properties (averaging <10 ha) is encouraging both part-time and hobby farming. The latter is part of a growing trend favouring amenity migration, with both retirees and younger migrants seeking out rural lifestyles. Yet economic diversification into tourism remains limited as the area is beyond the reach of day visitors from the state capital, Adelaide.
Mots clés : Irrigation Trust|environmental management|horticulture|multifunctionality|South Australia
A102885GR