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IRRIGATIONNZ, WITH MPI Sustainable Farming Fund, AgResearch, Landcare Research and Aqualinc, has produced a guide to irrigating steeper slopes.
“Achieving efficient irrigation on hill country is more challenging than on flat land and demands a greater level of skill, as well as design tailored to the property,” says IrrigationNZ project manager Paul Reese.
“The critical challenge is to keep the water in the plant root zone avoiding and minimising run-off. Our guide book offers solutions to these problems, alongside a review of the relative merits of the different methods of irrigation that suit hill slopes in New Zealand.”
Central and North Otago, Canterbury’s foothills and eastern parts the North Island have all seen growth in irrigation on sloping ground covering a wide variety of crops and pasture, he notes.
The ‘Hill Country Irrigation Guidebook’ was launched at IrrigationNZ’s ‘Great Irrigation Challenge’ training and education event in Ashburton in October.
IrrigationNZ submitted a briefing last month to the new Government this week on how water capture, storage, and efficient use can grow economic prosperity, support New Zealand's exports, and ensure long term regional resilience. Here's part of what Vanessa Winning, chief executive of IrrigationNZ, said:
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