Aughton understood the water problem long before the current drought from his position working in the Victorian Government. Seventy per cent of Australia’s fresh water is used for irrigation but the management of that water is antiquated. Farmers must wait two to three days for a worker to drive down to the irrigation channels to release water. Then almost a third of that water is lost due to inaccurate measurements, excess water running into drains and leaks from ageing channels. Water infrastructure in other countries is in even worse shape. One in three people around the world are affected by water shortages, according to the International Water Management Institute. In India, 17% of the world’s population live off 4% of the world’s water – yet half of India’s irrigation water is wasted due to poor technology. Aughton convinced four colleagues – Gino Ciavarella, Bruce Rodgerson, Tony Oakes and a fourth director who has since left the company – to join him and invest their life savings to establish Rubicon as an irrigation consultancy based in Melbourne. The aim from the beginning was to reinvest the profits of the business and devote 30% of the annual operating budget to research and development.
Read More
Source: http://www.smartcompany.com.au/Premium-Articles/Ho