SERVE-AG NRM GROUP
BEST PRACTICE SALINITY MANAGEMENT
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Serve-Ag’s NRM Group is delivering a Best Practice Salinity Management Project in northern and southern Tasmania, funded by the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality through NRM North and NRM South. The project has been developed to assist landholders identify saline areas and implement changes to land management practices which address soil salinity, in conjunction with crop productivity and sustainability.
The project will engage groups of landholders with similar farming enterprises in local areas through until 31th December 2008, co-ordinated by project officers in Hobart and Longford. |
Trials have shown that sowing salt-tolerant pasture species can reclaim salt effected land making them productive and minimising saline effected land
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Landholder groups and industry field officers can be involved in local on-ground demonstrations, information sharing and regular monitoring of salinity on their properties. This will help increase landholders’ understanding of salinity and encourage them to take action where problems exist.
What The Project Aims To Achieve
The project will assist landholders learn about and implement a range of natural resource management (NRM) activities tailored to their own farms, which help address salinity.
These include:
- Improving landholders’ understanding of local soil salinity, its causes, symptoms, and ramifications if left unchecked.
- Assisting landholders to choose the appropriate management practices to address salinity issues on their own land.
- Encouraging landholders to undertake activities which improve soil health to increase overall farm productivity and reduce water table recharge.
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Agricultural production has changed the use and flow of water in the landscape, affecting salt expression at the soil surface |
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Co-ordinating Our Efforts
Serve-Ag are working alongside Agricultural Resource Management (ARM), Armstrong Agricultural Services, NRM North, NRM South, Private Forests Tasmania (PFT), and Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW) to deliver this project. |
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This co-operation allows co-ordination between the various different projects funded by the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, preventing doubling up of information extension throughout the state, and to avoid confusion by participants of the different projects underway.
Where It Will Happen
All activities will occur within the National Action Plan region, as illustrated. |
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How It Will Be Achieved
Participating farmers will identify their key land management issues for salinity, water quality and soil health, and address these through assessing practical options and undertaking on-ground actions.
Two project officers are facilitating the project, and will coordinate specialist input from field officers, agronomists, consultants and relevant experts.
Field days and other activities will provide information more widely to landholders throughout the state.
Key plant species and growing patterns that indicate the presence of salinity will be demonstrated. The range and degree of salinity tolerant plant species available will also be discussed.
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Sea Barley Grass is a common indicator of salinity
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What Will Be The Project Outcomes?
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Further Information
Karen Watson and Andrew Winkler are facilitating the project in close collaboration with NRM North and NRM South.
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