The VegNET project has had a strong focus on water management this quarter in the Northern Territory, with particular focus on water extraction licensing. It is a requirement in the NT in most regions to have a water license if using land for agricultural use (not including livestock).

Adelaide River and Marrakai are regions south and east of Darwin, and have now had a water allocation plan developed by the state government that will manage and regulate surface and ground water use through the catchment area.

Growers from these regions are now required to apply for a water license like most other regions of the NT. To help growers understand the water license requirements, VegNET NT held a grower meeting on farm in the Marrakai region with a great turnout of 27 growers and 4 industry personnel in attendance.

VegNET NT invited the Northern Territory Government to have a discussion with growers about what the new requirements looked like, how to apply for a water license and what growers’ requirements are once successfully obtaining a water license. As majority of the growers in this region are Vietnamese, VegNET NT provided a Vietnamese interpreter to ensure everyone had access to the correct information and could ask questions easily.

To apply for a water license, the grower needs to submit an application which provides the estimated amount of water they intend to use annually over the 10-year lifespan of the license. The grower will also need to submit copies of maps of the property, proof of ownership and bore reports.

A week after the grower meeting, VegNET NT held an Open-Door Day at the NT Farmers office where growers could come in and get assistance with their water license application. During the Open-Door Day we completed six applications. On the day we also had growers come in requesting a session with a Vietnamese interpreter, of which we ran two further sessions with an interpreter present. To date, VegNET NT has assisted in the completion and submission of 23 water license applications.

Once a grower is successful in obtaining a water license, they are required to purchase and install a water meter on their bore(s) for reporting purposes. Many growers will prefer to install the water meter themselves however there are some key installation requirements that need to be adhered to, to ensure the water meter installation is approved by the Northern Territory Government.

To assist growers with this stage, VegNET NT organised an on-farm water meter installation demonstration where they teamed up with a local bore service provider and the Northern Territory Government to install a water meter on farm. Both the Northern Territory Government staff and the bore technician explained how to install the water meter correctly in order to adhere to the installation requirements. With a Vietnamese interpreter present, growers were able to make note of the more specific requirements and ask many questions.

Sonny is a Marrakai mango and vegetable grower who attended all three events.

“I found the meetings helpful,” he said. “Before I wouldn’t have been able to install the water meter correctly, but now I can. I also think the Vietnamese interpreter is important as some of the growers don’t know much English at all.”

Sonny was also one of the 23 water license applications that VegNET assisted in completing and submitting.

When new policies or legislation comes into place, grower resistance to adoption is not necessarily the reason for low compliance and adoption. By providing growers with opportunities to gain the information they need, seek the assistance they require or see how the requirements need to be carried out, in a language they are fluent in, we can see quite successful adoption across the board.

FIND OUT MORE
Please contact Mariah Maughan on 0417 618 468 or email ido@ntfarmers.org.au