2007 Irrigation Fellowship winner puts people power into irrigation

2007 Irrigation Fellowship winner puts people power into irrigation A better understanding of the issues facing irrigators - and importantly, their perception of those issues - will lead to better informed irrigation policy for Australia. That's the view of this year's winner of the prestigious 2007 Travel Fellowship, valued at $10,000. The Fellowship enables a young person to travel overseas and investigate an issue relevant to the irrigation industry. This annual Fellowship is sponsored by the National Program for Sustainable Irrigation (NPSI) and the Australian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (ANCID). Kimberley Graham, an Honours student in Natural Resource Management at the University of Melbourne, will use the Fellowship to survey stakeholders and ask them to define the issues surrounding water security. By understanding the different views, interests, opinions and needs of stakeholders, and involving them in the development of policy, Kimberley believes there will be more awareness of and support for those solutions. She will also visit Brazil and China, both rapidly developing countries but approaching irrigation policy development from very different angles, to gain insights that might be applied in Australia. Land & Water Australia Executive Director, Michael Robinson, presented the Fellowship and commended the practical focus of the work. "These Fellowships and other programs run by NPSI make an enormous contribution because they target the end users - the irrigation industry. "Advances in knowledge through NPSI have led to improvements and water savings at the farm and landscape scales, as well as new tools and information." ANCID chairman Stephen Mills said applicants for the Fellowship had to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of major strategic issues facing the industry in the next ten years. "The Fellowship has been developed to give young people the chance to travel overseas and learn all they can, and to bring that experience and knowledge back to Australia to share with our irrigation industries," said Mr Mills. Last year's Fellowship winner was Anna Price, who used the funds to visit irrigation regions overseas with similar climates to northern Australia, develop an understanding of their sustainability issues and how that might be used to improve irrigation in northern Australia. The National Program for Sustainable Irrigation is managed by Land & Water Australia on behalf of 13 partners, including irrigators, water authorities, research agencies and government agencies. ENDS For more information, please contact Lynne Sealie on 0419 876 370; Email: lynne.sealie@lwa.gov.au Privacy/Disclaimer | Contacts | Site Map Copyright © Land & Water Australia Last Updated: 21/08/2007 Phone: +61 2 6263 6000 Email: Land&WaterAustralia@lwa.gov.au