207-272 Water and Land Management

This subject should enable students to:

• understand the ecological principles, which influence the management of sustainable systems;

• foster attitudes toward the philosophy of sustainable management;

• analyse the practices and management strategies for natural resource management for sustainable farm productivity and lifestyles;

• apply appropriate principles and methods in physical farm planning;

• competently develop a plan for a property, which incorporates considerations of long term sustainability, flexibility, labour efficiency and economic viability;

• and plan and develop farm water supply systems for both stock and domestic use and irrigation.

The content includes:

• land degradation processes and reclamation strategies;

• strategies for maintaining soil structure and nutrient status on farms;

• evaluation of sustainability in a range of farming systems, including rained cropping, irrigation, intensive grazing, rangeland and intensive animal systems;

• farmer and urban attitudes to sustainable land use issues;

• principles and benefits of farm planning;

• description of the farm environment - climate and resources, land capability classification, land degradation and reclamation;

• aerial photography - use and interpretation, mapping natural features and land degradation;

• conservation farming;

• roles of trees on farms;

• role of natural habitat in farm systems, present and potential land and capital values;

• strategies for change on the farm - management practices, layout changes;

• planning changes to farm layout - to overcome land degradation problems/risks, for greater efficiency of labour use/stock movement, for new enterprises, fire control, water distribution and for water or wildlife conservation;

• planning changes to farm practices, for more efficient use of resources - crop sequences, tillage practices, chemical use, grazing/forage management etc., integration of crop and livestock and vermin and pest control;

• access, roads, laneways, fencing, planning tree planting and revegetation and fodder reserves, methods and economics of tree planting, financial and taxation implications of farm planning, setting priorities and implementing the plan, 'group Whole Farm Planning' courses and community issue and whole farm planning;

• conservation, utilisation and distribution of water on the farm, as well as the planning and development of farm water supply schemes;

• water conservation - water sources, ground water, catchment yield, peak discharge, return periods, rainfall intensity, evaporation, storage volumes, bywash design, storage construction, soil types for construction;

• water utilisation - stock and domestic water use, water quality, irrigation requirements, evaporation, storage requirements, flow rates; and

• water reticulation - flow-rates, water requirements, pipe flow, channel flow, pump performance, pump selection troughs, reticulation design, water supply location and layout.

One 2.5-hour written examination worth 40% of final marks, two assignments equivalent to 3000 words and worth 30% of final marks each.