Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Research partnership for irrigation impacts study

Updated at 10:15 am on 12 October 2011

Hawke's Bay Regional Council and Massey University have established a partnership to study the environmental impacts of increased irrigation use in central Hawke's Bay.

The council hopes to complete a major feasibility study for water storage in central Hawke's Bay by June 2012 in order to address water shortages and help farmers cope with drought.

Economic development officer Michael Bassett-Foss says that if the Ruataniwha Plains water augmentation project goes ahead, it will trigger intensified land use.

He says it has provided an opportunity for a PhD student to contribute to the research on the environmental impacts of the proposed irrigation changes.

He says crucial to the project is the efficient use of water, better farming practices and an improvement in the environmental footprint of farming.

Mr Bassett-Foss says the council will want the PhD research to focus on precision agriculture, which aims at water efficiency, effluent management and nutrient control.

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