Making the Invisible Visible: Co-learning Guided Development of an Operational Tool for Irrigation Management

Inefficient use of irrigation in New Zealand pastoral farms is widespread and the uptake of irrigation scheduling tools to improve efficiency is poor. Recent studies suggest that end-user inclusive participatory approaches to developing tools and practices could improve the uptake, contributing to improved economic and environmental outcomes. Using a co-learning based participatory approach, we (researchers) worked with a group of pastoral farmers, water resources regulators and industry professionals, to develop an operational irrigation scheduling support tool that would facilitate improved water use. The key engagement principles used were: taking time to understand the problem from multiple (stakeholder) perspectives; applying equal value to all sources of knowledge; providing an atmosphere that fosters learning among stakeholders (co-learning); staying aware of the wider (problem) context; and remaining flexible and adaptable. The co-learning approach revealed over-lapping, yet distinct, perceptions of improved water use: for farmers, it meant pasture growth unimpeded by available soil water; for regulators, reduced irrigation-drainage and consequent leaching of nutrients from rootzone; and for researchers, justified use of water based current (crop) demand and forecast (rainfall) supply. The co-learning guided operational tool combined near-real time soil water monitoring (demand) and short-term (two to six days) rainfall forecast (supply), to support on-farm irrigation scheduling decisions. The tool included biophysical (data type and synthesis), structural (data format, presentation and visualisation) and technological (instrumentation and data collection protocols) features that incorporated the diverse perspectives to water use. Uptake of the tool by the pilot study farmers was high, and their irrigation practices evolved because of the information it provided. Inclusion of multiple stakeholder perspectives throughout the tool development process revealed unexpected insights and resulted in improved outcomes for all stakeholders.