Putting real-time water usage data into the hands of horticulturalists

Declining rainfall and reduced water availability since the 1970s have made efficient water use in food production more important than ever.

In this episode, Dr Julia Easton and Professor Mark Gibberd from the Centre for Crop Disease Management at Curtin University discuss the 'On Farm Water Demand' project, funded through the WA Node of Food Agility CRC.

On Farm Water Demand is a regional project that began with a community meeting and grew into a multi-farm trial using soil moisture sensors and irrigation monitoring to better understand water use in high-value crops like avocados, truffles, apples, wine grapes, and potatoes.

With 27 farms involved, data was collected year-round to track irrigation and soil moisture. Farmers used this to fine-tune decisions, whether daily or seasonally, and to back up choices with evidence rather than just instinct. The project highlights how structured data supports business planning, water efficiency, and even climate adaptation modelling at a catchment scale.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Curtin 4 Agribusiness Profitability (C4AP) - CCDM
• Southern Forests Drought Node - Southern Forests Food Council
• On-Farm Water Demand - Food Agility CRC
• Hub news - Drought Hub