Stokes, C., Jarvis, D., Webster, A., Watson, I., Jalilov, S., Oliver, Y., Peake, A., Peachey, A., Yeates, S., Bruce, C., Philip, S., Prestwidge, D., Liedloff, A., Poulton, P., Price, B., and McFallan, S. (2023) Financial and socio-economic viability of irrigated agricultural development in the Roper catchment: A technical report from the CSIRO Roper River Water Resource Assessment for the National Water Grid. Report. CSIRO Publishing, Australia.

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Abstract

Sustainable regional development is a priority for the Australian and Northern Territory governments. Across northern Australia, however, there is a scarcity of scientific information on land and water resources to complement local information held by Indigenous owners and landholders. Sustainable regional development requires knowledge of the scale, nature, location and distribution of the likely environmental, social and economic opportunities and the risks of any proposed development. Especially where resource use is contested, this knowledge informs the consultation and planning that underpins the resource security required to unlock investment. In 2019 the Australian Government commissioned CSIRO to complete the Roper River Water Resource Assessment. In response, CSIRO accessed expertise and collaborations from across Australia to provide data and insight to support consideration of the use of land and water resources for development in the Roper catchment. While the Assessment focuses mainly on the potential for agriculture, the detailed information provided on land and water resources, their potential uses and the impacts of those uses are relevant to a wider range of regional-scale planning considerations by Indigenous owners, landholders, citizens, investors, local government, the Northern Territory and federal governments. Importantly the Assessment will not recommend one development over another, nor assume any particular development pathway. It provides a range of possibilities and the information required to interpret them - including risks that may attend any opportunities - consistent with regional values and aspirations.

The purpose of this report is to provide information on the costs, risks and benefits of new irrigated development in the catchment of the Roper River, at farm to scheme and regional scales, and supply chains beyond. The overall conclusion is that large public dams would be marginal, but on-farm water sources, suitably sited, could provide good prospects for viable new farms.

Item ID:	83034
Item Type:	Report (Report)
ISBN:	978-1-4863-1897-1
Keywords:	Farming options; Economic considerations beyond farm gate; Regional economics; Input - Output analysis
Related URLs:	Publisher
Copyright Information:	© Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation 2023. To the extent permitted by law, all rights are reserved and no part of this publication covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means except with the written permission of CSIRO.
Funders:	Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Projects and Grants:	National Water Grid’s Science Program
Date Deposited:	02 Jul 2024 02:07
FoR Codes:	38 ECONOMICS > 3801 Applied economics > 380105 Environment and resource economics @ 100%
SEO Codes:	15 ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK > 1502 Macroeconomics > 150203 Economic growth @ 70% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1803 Fresh, ground and surface water systems and management > 180301 Assessment and management of freshwater ecosystems @ 30%
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