- Author CRCNA and research partners
- Publish date 22 May 2026
- Type Report
- Documents
- Water
Summary
This impact evaluation summarises the outcomes of CRCNA projects: A.7.1920043 – Improving water markets and trading through new digital technologies: Mareeba-Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme Pilot, and A.7.2122001 – Scaling next generation water markets in northern Australia.
Led by Civic Ledger, these projects explored how digital technologies could modernise water trading systems, improve governance and strengthen investor confidence in water markets across northern Australia. The initial Mareeba-Dimbulah pilot tested Civic Ledger’s blockchain-enabled Water Ledger platform within an existing irrigation scheme to assess whether peer-to-peer digital trading could reduce transaction costs, improve efficiency and increase transparency. A follow-on scaling project examined the governance, regulatory and commercial settings needed for broader adoption.
The projects demonstrated how digital water market infrastructure can streamline approvals, reduce administrative burden, improve water accounting accuracy and provide trusted real-time market information. This helped accelerate Water Ledger’s commercialisation from pilot concept to global platform deployment, supporting follow-on investment, job creation and new applications in environmental markets. Expected longer-term impacts include wider uptake of digital water trading systems, improved water market participation and stronger water security to support agricultural investment across northern Australia.
Projects
Scaling Next Generation Water Markets in Northern Australia
This project is advancing the design of next generation water markets in northern Australia by exploring how digital innovation, market governance and institutional design can work together to improve water security, social equity and investor confidence. Building on the earlier Improving Water Markets and Trading through New Digital Technologies project, the research examines how transparent, grower-led water markets can better support sustainable agricultural development in emerging irrigation regions. At the centre of the project is the transition of the Mareeba-Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme (MDWSS) in Far North Queensland to Civic Ledger’s blockchain-enabled Water Ledger platform, establishing the scheme as a strategic research test-bed for northern Australia. This real-world implementation enables continuous water accounting and more transparent water trading, while providing a practical framework to test how modern digital infrastructure can improve market participation, liquidity, price transparency and trust in water markets. The project also investigates the broader governance settings required to support effective and equitable water markets, including how market design can improve grower participation, strengthen confidence for investors and ensure fairer access to water resources. By analysing platform adoption, trading performance, user sentiment, financial outcomes and opportunities for further application, the project is helping reshape how water markets are designed and governed in northern Australia, with lessons that may be applicable nationally and internationally. Additional information: https://www.fintechaustralia.org.au/community-news/crcna-and-civic-ledger-scaling-next-generation-water-markets-in-northern-australia https://itwire.com/it-industry-news/market/crcna,-civic-ledger-scaling-next-generation-water-markets-in-northern-australia https://medium.com/civic-ledger/crcna-and-civic-ledger-scaling-next-generation-water-markets-in-northern-australia-f6131657b968 h2oglobalnews.com/crcna-and-civic-ledger-scaling-next-generation-water-markets-in-northern-australia/
Improving water markets and trading through new digital technologies
This project explored how emerging digital technologies could improve the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of water trading in northern Australia. Using Civic Ledger’s blockchain-enabled Water Ledger platform, a pilot was undertaken with irrigators in the Mareeba-Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme on the Atherton Tablelands to test whether digital trading infrastructure could reduce barriers to participation and create more efficient water markets. The project examined how blockchain technology could support faster, lower-cost and more transparent trading of water allocations by improving access to real-time market information, reducing reliance on intermediaries and automating compliance with trading rules. The pilot demonstrated the potential to significantly reduce transaction times, improve price visibility and increase market confidence by creating a more transparent and trusted trading environment. The research also highlighted broader opportunities for digital transformation in water governance, including the potential for interoperable systems that connect water trading platforms with regulators, operators and water delivery infrastructure. While technical and regulatory barriers remain, the project provided an important proof of concept for how digital technologies could support more efficient water allocation, strengthen market governance and help de-risk agricultural investment in emerging irrigation regions across northern Australia. Additional articles: https://www.bitsofblocks.io/post/water-ledger-pilot-project-goes-live www.graincentral.com/uncategorized/fnq-irrigators-tap-into-new-digital-water-trading/ FNQ irrigators tap into new digital water trading