Climate, land & water

Western Australia’s agriculture sector needs access to productive soil and water resources for growth and profit. However, the sector must compete with increasing resource demands from all sectors of the community, and the pressures of a changing climate. The Agriculture and Food division of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development supports agriculture by providing long-term management solutions, practical risk management strategies and tools to maintain and improve resource conditions, to meet the needs of industry and stakeholders. Agriculture and Food is also pioneering soil and water investigation of the state’s undeveloped areas to establish new irrigated agricultural industries.

Articles

Grade banks for managing surface water

11 November 2013

Grade banks are used to intercept and divert surface water run-off into storage or waterways, to limit soil erosion.
Shallow relief drains in Western Australia

11 November 2013

Shallow relief drains are relatively cheap and easy to construct, and are effective at removing surface water from flooded or ponding land.
Grassed waterways for managing surface water in Western Australia

11 November 2013

Natural or constructed grassed waterways can be used to safely move surface water across the landscape, handle water flow into and out of dams, the end of grade banks and other surface water dispos
Raised beds – design, layout, construction and renovation

10 February 2011

Permanent raised beds are a practical and economic means of managing some waterlogged sites in wetter areas of the Western Australian grainbelt.
Evaporation basins for salinity management

12 October 2015

An evaporation basin is a natural salt lake or engineered earth structure designed to store and evaporate saline water.
Open groundwater drains in Western Australia

11 November 2013

Open groundwater drains are excavated channels with sloping floors and sides, designed to intercept and drain surface (usually fresh) and groundwater (usually saline in Western Australia) from agri
Managing subsurface water in Western Australia

17 July 2015

Managing subsurface water can help to lower watertables and alleviate problems with waterlogging, rising salinity, and infrastructure damage.
Surface water management in Western Australia

17 July 2015

Surface water management is needed wherever water erosion is a risk, where water movement control or water harvesting is required, and as part of a salinity management program.
Nutrient and fertiliser management of high rainfall pastures in Western Australia

1 November 2019

This page provides information links specific to nutrient management of high rainfall pastures (more than 600 mm average annual rainfall) in the south-west of Western Australia.
Carbon Farming and Reforestation, Afforestation and Revegetation in Western Australia

13 November 2013

Reforestation, afforestation and revegetation can sequester significant amounts of carbon per hectare.