Smart irrigation saves water and doesn’t waste it

Recently, a discussion is very present in agribusiness: the use of water for irrigation in agriculture. Some demonstrations in recent days have questioned the use of this technology as harmful to water savings, but the truth is that irrigation should not always be seen as a villain for the environment.

According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), it is estimated that by 2050 there will be around 9,5 million people in the world. Therefore, there is a need to increase food production by 70%. To achieve this, the production sector depends on technologies that deliver results and contribute to the preservation of natural resources, helping producers achieve this goal and feed the world.

Smart irrigation, a system that takes water directly to the plant's roots, guarantees increased productivity, saving water and electricity. Through dripping tubes that take water, nutrients and chemicals directly to the plant's roots, the system helps in the full development of each crop. When applied in the absorption area, the increase in productivity reaches 100% and water savings can reach 60%, helping the producer to avoid potential waste.

In addition to increasing the use of water, in drip irrigation, energy savings can reach 60% when compared to other irrigation systems. Also compared to other systems, in the dry season, for example, water consumption through sprinkler irrigation can reach 600 mm depending on the crop. In turn, drip irrigation consumes around 400 mm and transports water and nutrients, through the nutri-irrigation system, directly to the plants' root system, ensuring a greater return in productivity and crop quality.

The drip irrigation solution, due to its efficiency, also allows irrigating a larger area with the same amount of water available in relation to other irrigation methods. The results prove that irrigation is an efficient and sustainable production method. When designed correctly, with the appropriate guidance for each property, underground irrigation becomes an ally in the fight for sustainable agriculture.

However, there are those who say that this underground irrigation technology is very expensive, without even considering the cost-benefit. Since this investment is made in grain cultivation, the payback It takes place between four and six harvests and the project lasts more than 15 years. In other words, on average, it guarantees 12 years of savings and above-average productivity.

Technologies such as smart irrigation came to help with more productive harvests. The challenge of producing more with less is not just for the farmer, but also for responsible companies like Netafim, which want to help producers increase their results in a sustainable and conscious way.