About the Irrigated Cropping Forum

Constituent groups

Four grower-driven groups have arisen independently in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin to address production and sustainability issues, as well as to promote more effective RD&E in their respective areas. The groups have varied histories and resources, but each has a strong grower-base and is dedicated to finding the best mix of farming practices and enterprises for their irrigation districts.

The funding base for each group varies, but all have local representative structures and very solid in-kind local support from growers, agencies and agribusiness. The constituent groups are:

Birth of the Irrigated Cropping Forum

In the early 1990s, R&D corporations and State Government agencies were also reacting to issues in the irrigation areas, and from 1993 they sponsored a series of workshops to involve irrigated cropping farmers in the coordination, planning and implementation of RD&E projects in the irrigation areas of the Southern Murray-Darling Basin. The workshops were convened under the banner of the Southern Murray-Darling Basin Irrigated Cropping Forum (ICF). Eventually, several projects were developed by the group and implemented by State agencies and the CSIRO.

Incorporation and a legal identity

In 2000, the four grower-driven groups increased their involvement with the Irrigated Cropping Forum (ICF) and were incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory to provide a legal status and a stronger identity for the constituent groups to interact directly with each other and their key stakeholders. The incorporation was driven equally by farmers and agencies to provide an independent and accountable body to manage available resources, as well as to plan, monitor and evaluate relevant projects.

The corporate objectives of the ICF, as outlined in its constitution are:

To promote a balance of economic, social and environmental factors for the optimum development of communities which depend on the use of land and water resources for irrigated cropping production in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin;
To provide an ongoing mechanism for the involvement of irrigators and their service providers in cropping research and development;
To overcome political and geographic barriers to promote collaboration between irrigators, government and private agencies in all sectors of the irrigated cropping industry to encourage fully integrated research and development programs that contribute to a productive and profitable future for the irrigated cropping industry and rural communities in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin;
To act as a conduit into the irrigated cropping industry, so that investment in research, development and extension has effective stakeholder participation and uptake and aligns closely with the industries strategic needs; and
To support and coordinate the activities of the sponsoring bodies of the association.

about the ICF

GRDC is a
major supporter
of the Irrigated
Cropping
Forum