It is not just farmers who need to think of drought proofing – food and beverage processing facilities do too, and the technology is now available, writes Andrew Miley of Hydroflux.
Droughts are becoming more frequent and more prolonged throughout Australia. Drought cuts yields of the crops we depend on, and our food and beverage processors are hit in two ways.
Reduced yields mean increased prices of essential crop inputs, and the water, which is also essential for processing becomes more expensive and subject to supply restrictions that can limit output.
For food processors the easiest way to drought-proof their processing facilities is to recycle their process water, but more about that later. In most parts of Australia potable water is fairly cheap and of high quality, but the price of water becomes irrelevant if supply simply stops.
Drought is called the “creeping disaster”, because it starts gradually and by the time it is acknowledged its impact on agriculture and water supplies may already be devastating and it may be too late to take action to limit the fallout.
Because of this, and Australia’s long history of shifts in rainfall patterns, it is critical that we prepare for drought, making ourselves more resilient to these fluctuations, especially considering that they are projected to grow even stronger in the future with climate change.
