Drip irrigation and the crucial role in water management

The risk of water shortages is global. In Brazil, recent cases of water crisis in several regions of the country have raised the alarm for conscious consumption of water resources. In this scenario of lack of water, agriculture is on the front line, positioned as the main villain and competitor when it comes to supply.

What many do not know is that in addition to the indisputable importance of agriculture in terms of food supply, the sector is also already mobilizing around the sustainable use of the resource. Producing more, in less space and with little water is currently the biggest challenge in agriculture, especially in regions where water and arable land are scarce.

Seth M. Siegel, North American lawyer and environmental activist, author of the book “Faça-se a Água”, released recently in Brazil, in a recent interview with IstoÉ Dinheiro, stated that society needs to prepare for water scarcity, and the Agriculture has a fundamental role in this future. Without adequate management of the resource, communities already suffer from a lack of water, but for water to reach the population and also supply the countryside, it is necessary to adopt technologies that allow producing more, with less.

It was precisely the need to produce food with few natural resources that made Israel a reference in management. Drip irrigation was born exactly in this desert environment, showing that it is possible to harvest in originally dry lands. To give you an idea, the average rainfall in Israel is 600 millimeters per year - in the Brazilian semi-arid region, the rate is 800 millimeters per year. In the southern region, where the Negev desert is located, this rate does not reach 30 millimeters/year.

Thus, Israeli Netafim was born, a pioneer in drip irrigation technology, with the mission to drive the mass adoption of smart irrigation solutions to combat food, water and land shortages. The initial objective of ‘flourishing in the desert’ has become a great legacy of sustainability and commitment to the environment.

In Brazil, although the total volume of rain is favorable to agricultural production, its distribution over the months does not follow the crop cycle and there is a lack of water at the most important times. In this way, intelligent irrigation has been increasingly adopted, both due to producers' concern in guaranteeing year-round supply, and for better use of crops when it comes to productivity.

In 2015, the southeast region experienced one of the worst water rationing in recent years. In Espirito Santo, the main region producing conilon coffee, producers saw their coffee plantations defoliate during the drought, and low production led the Brazilian government to authorize the import of coffee to meet the demand of the soluble industries.

This time it is the Central-West region that suffers. Brasília and Goiás are facing the worst drought in the last 30 years, and local governments have already enacted severe rationing. Producers who do not have reserves are unable to cultivate in winter and, in the summer harvest, are hostage to scarce rain.

Faced with the imminent risks of lack of supply, Seth M. Siegel argues that drip irrigation is the only option to maintain food production and guarantee water supply to the population. “In agriculture, it is necessary to switch to the drip irrigation system. Many people who read my book expect to only encounter bad things, but the reality is that there are already technologies capable of changing the way we deal with water”, said the environmentalist in an interview.

It is true that, unlike Israel, Brazil has the largest water reserves in the world, in the Amazon. However, it is necessary to consider that the highest concentration of water is not always located in populated regions. “Using weather conditions as an excuse, on the other hand, is unacceptable. The reason I wrote the book is because we are facing a global risk. We need to prepare for the lack of water and there is no point in praying. It is necessary to change agriculture, build infrastructure for water reuse. If we do all this, it is impossible to run out of water, unless a catastrophe happens”, highlighted Siegel.

Brazil has a vast expanse of land that can be used to grow food. Even in the driest regions, planning and adopting the right technologies will allow the country to advance as a major global power in food production, and smart irrigation is a fundamental tool for building this future.