A decrease in wet spells of short and medium duration (2 and 3 consecutive months) over the next 10-20 years would result in drying soils and an increased irrigation demand. The following adaptations can be considered by growers:
- Shift to fruit types with a greater physical and economic water productivity;
- Ensure that irrigation practices are optimal, water stress is avoided, and non-productive water use and system losses are minimised;
- Use irrigation technologies and scheduling methods (including remote sensing tools) to maximise water productivity;
- Use mulches and cover crops to reduce soil evaporative water losses, build carbon-rich soil organic matter, and improve the water-holding capacity of the soil;
- Install protective netting to reduce the water demand by the trees;
- Diversify access to diverse sustainable water sources, e.g. utilisation of groundwater in areas where the resource supply is still well in excess of extraction rate and the water is of suitable quality;
- Maximise streamflows, base flows (especially during the dry season and during dry spells and droughts), groundwater recharge, and on-farm potential for water storage during the rainfall season by practicing clearing of invasive alien plants (with regular maintenance), protection / rehabilitation / restoration of wetlands, and using hydrologically appropriate drainage systems in planted areas;
- Develop a River Maintenance Management Plan (MMP) in collaboration with LandCare to ensure long-term protection of the water resource and water-related infrastructure;
- Develop a Farm Drought Plan to guide management strategies and actions in times of dry spells and droughts.