Australia’s horticulture industry is vital to the national economy, producing high-value crops such as grapes, citrus and almonds. As the climate changes, the industry faces a critical need for enhanced drought resilience.

The Drought Management for Health and Longevity of Perennial Horticulture Plants project established 21 grape, citrus and almond demonstration sites across South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Remote capture cameras tracked canopy development and provided real-time data, that was integrated with data from weather stations and soil moisture sensors to provide an integrated platform for irrigation decision-making for increased water-use efficiency.

Project lead

SA Drought Hub

Hub project partners

Southern NSW Innovation Hub, TAS Farm Innovation Hub, and Victoria Drought Hub

NSW Irrigation masterclasses

In NSW, Southern NSW Innovation Hub partnered with the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to work directly with 60 citrus, almond, winegrape and cherry orchardists to co-design and deliver four irrigation ‘masterclasses’ across southern NSW.

The irrigation masterclasses equipped growers with new knowledge, skills and confidence to manage drought and on-farm demonstrations saved 0.6-2.2 megalitres of water using masterclass irrigation practices and principles.

Partnering with NSW DPI also created links between this project and the NSW DPI Climate Smart Pilots – Demonstrating Adaptation Program, which supported uptake of AgTech for selected growers who completed the masterclasses and participated in on-farm engagement activities.

Project impacts

One citrus grower described how the masterclass increased his understanding of water movement through the soil and how to optimise his irrigation, “I’ve gained confidence in what I have to do in a drought, how to handle it a lot better and to be water wise,"

For citrus grower Peter Ceccato from near Hillston, participating in the masterclass meant bridging the gap between technology and on-ground practices to understand irrigation data and improve their orchard's drought resilience. Find out more about Peter's story in 'Tapping into data and technology for drought resilience', published in the October 2023 edition of The Farmer magazine from NSW Farmers.

NSW project partner

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI)

Project funding

This project is funded by the Future Drought Fund's Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs