The Virtual Irrigation Academy began as a research project at CSIRO, funded by ACIAR, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. It is now an independent Australian not-for-profit organisation.
The idea behind it is simple. Farmers know a great deal about their own land that never gets written down, and scientists produce research outputs that farmers cannot use. A colour that both can read turns those two things into one conversation. That is what the name means, and it is the part worth holding onto — VIA is an Academy, a learning system. Yes, we built a sensor-making factory too.
100,000+ sensors later, that shared language has built a record of on-farm water use spanning a decade and 20+ countries.
For a deep dive into water, soil and how the colours work, take the Water School — VIA’s free online course.
The same three colours are being read this morning in 20+ countries. These are the places where somebody measured what changed.
“There are few more fundamental issues facing humanity than how best to feed ourselves in an increasingly crowded world, and — in Australia especially — what that means for scarce water resources.”
“Richard Stirzaker draws upon deep, hard-won knowledge of his own garden and his family’s experiences in that garden — as laboratory, workshop, study, pantry, playground and place for reflection.”
“The Chameleon soil water sensor is one of the most novel and transformative pieces of technology to arise from ACIAR-supported research.”
