Story: Irrigation and drainage
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry estimated that in 2007, 475,700 hectares of land were irrigated in New Zealand. They also projected how the land would be used if it wasn’t irrigated, based on factors such as soils and climate, and on the commercial trends in New Zealand agriculture. Results show that dairying would decrease from about 161,500 hectares to 62,000 hectares. The other pastoral land uses, mainly sheep and beef farming, would increase from 181,600 hectares to 304,600 hectares. Similarly, grain and seed production would increase from 57,300 hectares to 80,400 hectares. Decreases would occur in fruit production and viticulture, while vegetable production would completely disappear on this land.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
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Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
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