Advanced Irrigation
Technology Project
Growing Gippsland's drought resilience with technology and better soil
Advanced Irrigation Technology
Since 2021, two successive iterations of a project designed to build drought resilience among Gippsland’s vegetable producers has seen soil moisture monitoring (SMM) probes utilised in farming practices.
By increasing the adoption of SMM by the region’s intensive vegetable-growing industry, consecutive projects have sought to increase the water use efficiency of host landholders over the peak vegetable growing season.
The 2024 iteration of the soil moisture monitoring program builds on a project titled Growing Gippsland’s drought resilience with technology and better soil, funded through the Future Drought Fund (FDF) Natural Resource Management Drought Resilience Program in late 2021. The program was subsequently extended through to December 2023.
Four Gippsland vegetable-growing businesses were involved in the 2022/23 program, successfully integrating soil moisture monitoring technology into their farming systems.
This initiative simultaneously sought to decrease the risk of nutrient and sediment runoff into waterways as a result of over- or under-watering.
The program triggered the participating farms to review and modify their farming practices to help improve infiltration rates, leading to an increase in the consistency of crop yield and quality.
During 2024, three additional growers were assisted with the implementation of SMM technology into their farming operations.
The current program is primarily funded through Food & Fibre Gippsland in its capacity as the Gippsland Node Lead for the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (Vic Hub).
The project is allowing this group of Gippsland’s horticulture producers to gain access to a real-time, real-world network of sensors that enables improved decision-making and increased knowledge of the baseline climatic data within their operations, with the potential to enhance water use efficiency and climate resilience.
Facilitation of one-on-one support to growers is building their capacity to strategically implement soil moisture monitoring and irrigation management, and assist them to:
improve their irrigation practices;
better allocate existing and future water resources; and
better deal with drought by building business resilience.
In addition to increasing the skills and knowledge required for the sustained adoption of SMM technology, the program’s intended outcomes will see growers gain an increased understanding of soil data monitoring, a process which involves interpreting soil data graphs and soil moisture measurement.
This in turn will benefit productivity and profitability from improvements in water use efficiency and farm practices. These improved irrigation processes will thus help to make growers more resilient to drought and climate change.
Each farm participating in the program has been provided with 2 x Sentek Technologies probes. The proposal is to leave the growers with the probes at the end of the project to encourage the continued use of the technology and ongoing engagement with VegNET Gippsland in the soil moisture monitoring space.
Throughout the course of the project, technical support for the growers will help them adopt the technology and integrate within their farming system. On each farm, the probes are installed and set up; further assistance is available to assist the grower’s understanding of the soil moisture monitoring data and its function in relation to the business’s irrigation management.
Probe manufacturers Sentek Technologies, Agriculture Victoria and West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority are providing in-kind support to the program as required.
The SMM project aligns with the Gippsland Regional Extension Strategy’s Water Quality and Security, and Smarter Growing projects.
See Soil moisture monitoring field day demonstrates broad potential for on-farm technology for more information about this project.
Resources for growers and agronomists
For more information about this project, please contact:
Amanda Gould, VegNET Gippsland Regional Development Officer
e: info@foodandfibregippsland.com.au
