The Western Australian Government has made a total of $100,000 available for eligible commercial Western Australian horticultural businesses to seek expert advice and planning from professional irrigation consultants. 

The purpose of the Gnangara horticulture water use efficiency voucher program (the Program) is to assist eligible commercial horticultural businesses to obtain written expert advice to develop a plan to implement water use efficiency measures on their property.  Assistance is provided by way of a voucher that can be used to engage a professional irrigation consultant.

Local growers in the defined area can access vouchers of up to $5,000 to engage qualified irrigation professionals to audit their properties, design efficient irrigation systems, and provide written advice on technologies, soil amendments and cropping strategies to improve water use efficiency within their enterprise.

The Voucher Program will close on 30 June 2025 or when funds are fully committed.  Applications will be assessed in the order they are submitted.

Objectives 

The objective of the Program is to deliver productivity benefits by increasing water use efficiency, by eligible horticulture businesses obtaining written advice on any or all of the following technologies including: 

• Modifications to irrigation systems that increase the application of water uniformity
• Changing from sprinkler to drip irrigation
• Purchase and implementation of soil and/or crop sensor technology; crop monitoring equipment and annual data hosting fees
• Installation of protected cropping options, which may include greenhouses, glasshouses, shade houses, windbreaks, or permanent netting
• Soil amelioration strategies and inputs
• Professional advice of soil health improvements

Who is eligible to apply?

To be eligible to apply, you will need to demonstrate that:

• you own, share-farm or lease a property that you use for commercial horticulture production (lessee of property must provide landlord consent in writing)
• your commercial horticultural property is located in the eligible groundwater subareas (see map in Appendix 1 of the guidelines), and is subject to the 10 per cent reduction to groundwater abstraction from 2028 under the 2022 Gnangara groundwater allocation plan
• you conduct the majority of your primary production business in Western Australia
• you operate as a sole trader, partnership, trust or private company
• you hold a current Australian Business Number (ABN) and are registered for GST. 
• your business is a commercial primary production business (as defined by the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997).

• Phone: 0476 379 628
• Email: gnangaragrants@dpird.wa.gov.au