Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment

Reducing water consumption (equivalent to depletion) in irrigated agriculture ‘saves’ water, freeing it up to be allocated to other sectors, for example, to restore environmental flows. However, this task is not straightforward because consumption is difficult to adjust; there are many scales, motiv...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lankford, B., McCartney, Matthew P.
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149183
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author Lankford, B.
McCartney, Matthew P.
author_browse Lankford, B.
McCartney, Matthew P.
author_facet Lankford, B.
McCartney, Matthew P.
author_sort Lankford, B.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Reducing water consumption (equivalent to depletion) in irrigated agriculture ‘saves’ water, freeing it up to be allocated to other sectors, for example, to restore environmental flows. However, this task is not straightforward because consumption is difficult to adjust; there are many scales, motives, actors, concepts, calculations and hydrological practices and processes involved. Without a comprehensive approach to managing water, attempts to save water typically result in no observed effect, a reduction in crop production, a redistribution of water, or, paradoxically, an increase in water consumption. To address this challenge, a six-part ‘irrigation savings allocation framework’ (ISAF) to effect consumption-based savings is proposed. It first considers crop water requirements, then field applications, through to intra-system, and then system withdrawals of water. ISAF controls for irrigation consumption rebound and reuse in order to reduce depletion at the basin scale, and it tracks ‘freed up’ water to ensure it can be allocated to nature or other sectors.
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spelling CGSpace1491832025-12-08T09:54:28Z Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment Lankford, B. McCartney, Matthew P. irrigation efficiency water management frameworks water productivity irrigated farming crop production irrigation systems water allocation water requirements water extraction governance water accounting infrastructure farmers Reducing water consumption (equivalent to depletion) in irrigated agriculture ‘saves’ water, freeing it up to be allocated to other sectors, for example, to restore environmental flows. However, this task is not straightforward because consumption is difficult to adjust; there are many scales, motives, actors, concepts, calculations and hydrological practices and processes involved. Without a comprehensive approach to managing water, attempts to save water typically result in no observed effect, a reduction in crop production, a redistribution of water, or, paradoxically, an increase in water consumption. To address this challenge, a six-part ‘irrigation savings allocation framework’ (ISAF) to effect consumption-based savings is proposed. It first considers crop water requirements, then field applications, through to intra-system, and then system withdrawals of water. ISAF controls for irrigation consumption rebound and reuse in order to reduce depletion at the basin scale, and it tracks ‘freed up’ water to ensure it can be allocated to nature or other sectors. 2024-06-10 2024-07-22T11:19:53Z 2024-07-22T11:19:53Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149183 en Limited Access Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited Lankford, B.; McCartney, Matthew. 2024. Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment. In Knox, J. W. (Ed.). Improving water management in agriculture: irrigation and food production. Cambridge, UK: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. pp.259-286. (Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science) [doi: http://doi.org/10.19103/AS.2023.0123.16]
spellingShingle irrigation efficiency
water management
frameworks
water productivity
irrigated farming
crop production
irrigation systems
water allocation
water requirements
water extraction
governance
water accounting
infrastructure
farmers
Lankford, B.
McCartney, Matthew P.
Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment
title Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment
title_full Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment
title_fullStr Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment
title_full_unstemmed Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment
title_short Managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to “free” water for the environment
title_sort managing the irrigation efficiency paradox to free water for the environment
topic irrigation efficiency
water management
frameworks
water productivity
irrigated farming
crop production
irrigation systems
water allocation
water requirements
water extraction
governance
water accounting
infrastructure
farmers
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149183
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