Layout for irrigation and erosion control in the central and Burdekin sugarcane districts

Irrigation has long been used as a method of improving crop yields by overcoming rainfall deficiencies. As an indicator of the irrigation potential, the Eton Irrigation Scheme covers 15 000 hectares and the Burdekin Irrigation Scheme has the potential to irrigate 97 000 hectares of cropland. There are many areas of irrigation potential as private schemes outside of the major schemes. As irrigation water becomes available to farms, there is a need to plan farm layouts to suit flood irrigation practices and at the same time be able to control soil erosion when natural precipitation occurs. In areas such as Eton and Burdekin, significant volumes of overland flow can accumulate and slopes are sufficient for erosive velocities to develop. The aim of this paper is to present some guidelines for the planning of farm layouts.