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Sustainable irrigation: How did irrigated agriculture in Australia's Murray–Darling Basin adapt in the Millennium Drought?

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  • Kirby, Mac
  • Bark, Rosalind
  • Connor, Jeff
  • Qureshi, M. Ejaz
  • Keyworth, Scott

Abstract

The recent drought in south-eastern Australia saw the lowest inflows on record in the Murray–Darling Basin in 2006. As reservoirs were drawn down water availability for irrigation was cut. In 2007–2008 and 2008–2009, irrigators received about one third of their pre-drought allocations. Understanding how the irrigation sector adapted to less water will help planning for the next drought and a future in which irrigation water use will be reduced permanently in the basin.

Suggested Citation

  • Kirby, Mac & Bark, Rosalind & Connor, Jeff & Qureshi, M. Ejaz & Keyworth, Scott, 2014. "Sustainable irrigation: How did irrigated agriculture in Australia's Murray–Darling Basin adapt in the Millennium Drought?," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 154-162.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:145:y:2014:i:c:p:154-162
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2014.02.013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Qureshi, M. Ejaz & Shi, Tian & Qureshi, Sumaira E. & Proctor, Wendy, 2009. "Removing barriers to facilitate efficient water markets in the Murray-Darling Basin of Australia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 1641-1651, November.
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    3. Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec & Bjornlund, Henning, 2014. "Investigating the delayed on-farm consequences of selling water entitlements in the Murray-Darling Basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 72-82.
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    5. M Ejaz Qureshi & Tian Shi & Sumaira Qureshi & Wendy Proctor & Mac Kirby, 2009. "Removing Barriers to Facilitate Efficient Water Markets in the Murray Darling Basin – A Case Study from Australia," Socio-Economics and the Environment in Discussion (SEED) Working Paper Series 2009-02, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems.
    6. Loch, Adam & Bjornlund, Henning & Wheeler, Sarah & Connor, Jeff, 2012. "Allocation trade in Australia: a qualitative understanding or irrigator motives and behaviour," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 56(1), pages 1-19, March.
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    Cited by:

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    9. Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec & Bjornlund, Henning, 2014. "Investigating the delayed on-farm consequences of selling water entitlements in the Murray-Darling Basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 72-82.
    10. Allyson Williams & Neil White & Shahbaz Mushtaq & Geoff Cockfield & Brendan Power & Louis Kouadio, 2015. "Quantifying the response of cotton production in eastern Australia to climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 129(1), pages 183-196, March.
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    14. Jo Kneebone & Belinda Wilson, 2017. "Design and Early Implementation of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(03), pages 1-16, July.
    15. M. E. Qureshi & M. D. Ahmad & S. M. Whitten & A. Reeson & M. Kirby, 2018. "Impact of Climate Variability Including Drought on the Residual Value of Irrigation Water Across the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 4(01), pages 1-25, January.
    16. Freire-González, Jaume & Decker, Christopher & Hall, Jim W., 2017. "The Economic Impacts of Droughts: A Framework for Analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 196-204.
    17. Sarah Ann Wheeler, 2022. "Debunking Murray‐Darling Basin water trade myths," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 66(4), pages 797-821, October.
    18. David A. Fleming‐Muñoz & Stuart Whitten & Graham D. Bonnett, 2023. "The economics of drought: A review of impacts and costs," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 67(4), pages 501-523, October.
    19. Jadwiga R. Ziolkowska, 2016. "Socio-Economic Implications of Drought in the Agricultural Sector and the State Economy," Economies, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-11, September.
    20. Roobavannan, M. & Kandasamy, J. & Pande, S. & Vigneswaran, S. & Sivapalan, M., 2017. "Allocating Environmental Water and Impact on Basin Unemployment: Role of A Diversified Economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 178-188.

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