To help us to plan for these challenges, The Goulbourn Broken Region commissioned the Goulburn Broken Irrigation Futures project. The aim of the project was to work with stakeholders to develop a vision and strategies for irrigated agriculture in this region over the next 30 years. That long-term planning horizon involved considerable uncertainty, so we chose to use a scenario-based approach to our planning.

Part of the Water Resources: science priorities for Australia information sheet set.

There is a close relationship between how land is managed and the impact phosphorus may have on in-stream health. In order to manage Australian waterways effectively, we need to determine the relative importance of the various sources of phosphorus, as well as understand the processes by which phosphorus is delivered into our rivers. Knowledge about how and why phosphorus gets into waterways can help land and water managers make better management decisions.

At the highest strategic level the report describes the performance of Land & Water Australia in achieving the Australian Government's National Research Priorities. We have a particularly important role in the first National Research Priority _An environmentally sustainable Australia-.At the next level we report against the Australian Government's Rural Research and Development Priorities. These were announced before the National Research Priorities, and where there are areas of overlap we report against the combined priorities (see executive summary).

Australian studies show an average of 30% of applied irrigation water passes through the root zone without being used by the crops it is intended to sustain. This water either becomes groundwater recharge or is intercepted by drainage networks and contributes to waterway pollution. Subsurface drip irrigation has shown great potential for increasing crop yield and uniformity, while decreasing water use and environmental impact. Importantly, subsurface irrigation applies water directly to the plant's root zone at a rate closely matching that required for optimum plant growth.

The workshop sought to achieve a number of outcomes including to: increase national attention on inland rivers; converge ideas from the numerous people involved guide the emergence of principles, issues and actions on which to base policy development, research and future river management; and produce a report of workshop proceedings to disseminate the outcomes.

The Environmental Water Allocation Program program aims, research themes and projects

Variability is a feature of the Australia's climate that primary producers, natural resource managers, water suppliers and government know only too well. In 1992 several industry Research and Development Corporations and the Australian Government combined resources to initiate the Climate Variability in Agriculture Program. The following key learnings have been compiled from research conducted through this program (1992-2002) and its successor, the Managing Climate Variability Program (2003-2007).

The content in this paper is produced in part from in-depth surveys with wetland managers and wetland scientists as well as proceedings from a Land & Water Australia facilitated panel discussion presented at the 2007 RiverSymposium in Brisbane, Queensland.

Information on Project ANU11 Using citizens' Juries for Making Decisions in Natural resource Management