Report of the National Program for Irrigation R&D Benchmarking Project

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In Australia, interest in and development of irrigation systems began in the latter half of the 19th century. This interest was stimulated by an expanding and spreading population, closer settlement and the impact of severe droughts. Governments became seriously involved in the development of ambitious projects involving water catchment, storage and distribution. For many years the extension of water storage became a national goal. In the first half of the 20th century, irrigation became a mechanism to increase agricultural intensity and provided an avenue for soldier settlement, following both the first and second world wars.