Watering the farm: Comparing organic and conventional irrigation water use in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

Sarah Wheeler, Alec Zuo () and Adam Loch

Ecological Economics, 2015, vol. 112, issue C, 78-85

Abstract: This study investigates the role that certified-organic farming systems play in irrigation water-use in the Murray–Darling Basin, where large-scale government policy has focussed on returning water from irrigation to key ecological sites. Information from Australia's agricultural census in 2011, as well as a specialized irrigation farm survey sample of 1499 observations, compared certified-organic and conventional irrigation water-use. Census and survey results found some evidence for some industries that organic irrigation farms are less water-use efficient (i.e. water use divided by tonne of output), but little significant difference in water-used per irrigated hectare was found overall (although for some industry sectors—notably horticulture—organic farms use less water on a per-hectare basis). After controlling for self-selection, regression model results also indicated that organic irrigation farms use less absolute water than conventional farms; use a smaller percentage of water received; and are more water-use productive (i.e. water use divided by net farm income). A lack of significance for the importance of irrigation infrastructure adoption, plus the importance of water-use charges in reducing water demand, suggests a need for governments to reorientate irrigation policy towards more multi-layered and inclusive practices that promote better soil conditions and water management, rather than focussing on providing subsidies for technology adoption.

Keywords: Organic farming; Water-use; Murray–Darling Basin; Irrigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:112:y:2015:i:c:p:78-85

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.02.019

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