This publication presents estimates of agricultural water use, including pastures and crops irrigated. Estimates are presented for Australia, state/territories and Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions, as well as for the Murray-Darling Basin.

The estimates are compiled from data collected as part of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) for the year ended 30 June 2008.

Climatic conditions affect both the availability of water for irrigation and the need to irrigate in order to supplement rainfall. Information from the Bureau of Meteorology outlining climatic conditions over the period July 2007 to June 2008 are presented as an appendix to assist in interpreting these data.