Quantifying the greenhouse gas emission and carbon co-benefits of on-farm irrigation dams

Summary

The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory now recognises farm dams as an anthropogenic system that needs to be included in emissions accounting, however, emissions data is limited to Australian pasture waterbodies. Farm dams exist in abundance across irrigated landscapes, with an estimated 171,000 in the Murray Darling Basin. Currently, irrigation farm dams are a blind spot for carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting in agriculture, yet due to their wetland-like characteristics, may open up a new area for carbon farming and emissions management. This project seeks to tap into the co-benefits of pre-existing irrigation infrastructure as an additional avenue for on-farm emission offsets. The study will involve a comprehensive sampling campaign of GHG and water quality conditions in farm dams across the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA), and an aerial drone survey to quantify the carbon store in adjacent farm dam vegetation. Empirical data collected from this study will be cross-sectoral and be used to quantify the regional-scale irrigation industry dam GHG and carbon footprint, demonstrate farm-level emissions savings, and identify factors that may enhance farm dam emission offsets. New knowledge generated from this research will provide an innovative approach to farmers and agricultural industries looking to adapt to a changing market moving towards net zero emissions.

Program

National Rural Issues

Research organisation

Deakin University (a body politic and corporate established pursuant to the Deakin University Act 2009 (Vic))