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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF AUSTRALIA'S SUGARCANE INDUSTRY
Smarter irrigation solutions
Supplied by Sugar Research Australia
LOCAL EXPERTS AND SMART TECHNOLOGY ARE IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY AND WATER QUALITY IN THE BURDEKIN When the Burdekin Irrigation Project (BIP) was launched in 2021 many were sceptical about how the project would achieve its ambitious goal to deliver smarter irrigation practices that would benefit growers and improve environmental outcomes - all in the three-year timeframe. Sugar Research Australia (SRA) District Manager – Burdekin, Terry Granshaw, the on-ground project lead for SRA, says ‘it is thanks to a collaboration of experts, and the desire for local agriculture and
industry to take up smart irrigation technology,’ that the BIP is achieving and surpassing its goals.
grower to reduce water, energy use and run off - while maintaining productivity is quite an achievement,” Terry said.
“The BIP is about smart technology that supports efficiency; that leads to improved productivity, profitability and a positive environmental impact,” Terry said.
“Everyone involved needs to be congratulated.”
“But it is also about the experts involved and how they collaborate to deliver oneon-one engagement to growers who are willing to test the water and give these new irrigation systems a go. “That combination of using basic measurements, smart irrigation tools and water quality monitoring to create irrigation systems, that then enables a
The BIP is overseen by regional natural resource management group NQ Dry Tropics and funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. The project delivery is a collaborative initiative of Burdekin extension organisations collectively known as the Consortium made up of AgriTech Solutions, Burdekin Bowen Integrated Floodplain Management Advisory ►
