Australia’s Virtual Irrigation Academy wins COP 28 and World Economic Forum awards!

Australia's Virtual Irrigation Academy (VIA) was announced as the winner of the Inclusion Award under the Water Changemakers Innovation Awards 2023 held at COP 28 this week.

The Water Changemaker Innovation Awards is a global initiative that recognizes high-level commitment and leadership for climate-resilient water investments. The Awards also showcase the most promising climate-resilient innovations with the greatest potential for scale, replication, and further investment to support a water-secure world.

In its second great achievement, VIA was recently selected as a winner of the World Economic Forum and 'Smarter Climate Farmers Challenge'.

This challenge called for solutions using climate-smart agriculture approaches to improve food production, promote better living standards, respond to climate change and lead to the efficient care of the planet's resources within food ecosystems. Its focus areas include: knowledge, skills, and education; resource efficiency and sustainability; inclusive technology; and innovative financing. 

VIA's world first Chameleon sensor helps small-scale farmers who are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change to reduce water use while increasing crop yields and food production.

By enabling effective water management, VIA has the potential to transform the lives of millions of the world's poorest people in the poorest countries that are already stricken by climate change.  VIA is already having a significant impact on farmers in drought-afflicted countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.  Its application has limitless potential around the world as farming communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Revolutionising agriculture technology, farmers simply bury VIA's soil water sensor in the ground.  Attached to a light, it shows blue when the plants have plenty of water, green when things are ok and red when they need a drink….taking guess work and outdated water usage practices out of the equation, maintaining soil nutrients and increasing yields.

Originally established by CSIRO and ACIAR, VIA is now a stand-alone not-for-profit, seeking and working with partners around the world to manufacture and distribute this transformative technology.