Agrilink was involved in New Zealand’s first, comprehensive investigation of the water footprint across the full lifecycle of green kiwifruit. This was completed for Zespri as part of their on-going commitment to sustainable production and sustainable future growth. The project developed a method for measuring the environmental impact of a products water footprint.
Agrilink has worked with both the kiwifruit and merino wool industries, to help them quantify the amount of water used right across their supply chains and improve their efficiency. Zespri used this water footprinting project to tell their story in a very succinct and understandable way. This helped their understanding, informed their customers, as well as contributed to the global knowledge on water use.
Efficient water use is becoming a focus for consumers. Each year Agrilink prepares more than 1100 individual irrigation use benchmarking reports for the wine industry. Along with seasonal rainfall data, growers can check their performance against others in their region, on the same soil type, and against previous seasons.
We are looking at extending this further, to drive improved efficiency and justify actual water use. Our new Dashboard Project integrates climate, soil, plant and management strategies to truly understand how an individual – and ultimately the industry – is performing. With sound knowledge, wine growers can tell their environmental stories with confidence.
Efficient water use is becoming a focus for consumers.
