Aughton understood the water problem long before the current drought from his position working in the Victorian Government. Seventy per cent of Australia’s fresh water is used for irrigation but the management of that water is antiquated. Farmers must wait two to three days for a worker to drive down to the irrigation channels to release water. Then almost a third of that water is lost due to inaccurate measurements, excess water running into drains and leaks from ageing channels. Water infrastructure in other countries is in even worse shape. One in three people around the world are affected by water shortages, according to the International Water Management Institute. In India, 17% of the world’s population live off 4% of the world’s water – yet half of India’s irrigation water is wasted due to poor technology. Aughton convinced four colleagues – Gino Ciavarella, Bruce Rodgerson, Tony Oakes and a fourth director who has since left the company – to join him and invest their life savings to establish Rubicon as an irrigation consultancy based in Melbourne. The aim from the beginning was to reinvest the profits of the business and devote 30% of the annual operating budget to research and development.
Read More
Source: http://www.smartcompany.com.au/Premium-Articles/Ho
Population pressure and increasing water competition in a changing climate require us to take stock of the availability and use of water across scales. Water availability not only influences farmers’ commercial prospects but also irrigation-related enterprises and agri-businesses. Greater water scarcity could jeopardize irrigation and agricultural markets while excessive water use can lead to declining ecosystems, water quality and soil health. IWMI advises development partners and the public and private sectors on all aspects of water resource availability and use through a variety of advanced modeling and remote-sensing products and tools, including 
The ability of farmers to engage in or expand irrigation depends on the prevailing socioeconomic, ecological and political contexts, which are often complex, non-linear and changeable. Overcoming systemic barriers to farmer-led irrigation development while taking advantage of existing opportunities 
A lack of affordable credit, particularly for women and resource-poor farmers, is one of the main barriers to expanding farmer-led irrigation in low- and middle-income countries. But 
Scaling farmer-led irrigation requires strengthening human capacity and knowledge exchange among all actors and stakeholders involved. IWMI takes an action research approach, working with national and international research institutions, governments, extension agents and public and private organizations to co-develop the scaling ecosystem and strengthen capacity to drive scaling networks and collective action. We support the