Understanding Irrigation Decisions has been written to put in content and provide guidance on irrigation decisions ranging from enterprise planning to the paddock. To understand the breadth of irrigation decisions requires consideration of the social, financial, agronomic and engineering aspects – a challenging task. Understanding Irrigation Decisions has combined this breadth into one document.
Chapter Two outlines the broad context in which irrigation decisions are made – environmental, social, technical and financial. This chapter challenges the reader to consider what makes the whole system work. The objective is to increase the likelihood of irrigation decisions producing successful business, lifestyle, productivity and environmental outcomes.
Chapter Three explores how irrigation decisions involving change and/or the adoption of new information, tools or equipment can be derailed if the decision is not put in context.
Chapter Four gets into the ‘big picture’ irrigation decisions. This is where lifestyle, banks and markets set the direction of the irrigation enterprise for the next one to five years. Frequently these decisions are not given the priority they deserve.
Chapter Five jumps into the field and the technical details of irrigation decisions made during a season. This is where considerable benefits can be delivered if sound technical irrigation decisions are made. Realising these benefits will require those that support, advise and supply irrigation dependent businesses to take into consideration the context outlined in Chapters Two to Four.
Chapter Six looks at how irrigation decisions might make use of technology to tap into the increasing wave of information available for irrigation decisions.
In this publication case studies from a range of irrigation businesses are used to highlight the decision making framework and the information used to make irrigation decisions.
