Advantages And Disadvantages Of Irrigation

The type of irrigation system we have watering our crops can and will help either bring the drought back or conserve as much water as we can. Since our main objective is to conserve and save as much water as we can looking into the different and better irrigation systems would be the best idea that we can be looking into.

Irrigation - The supply of water to land or crops to help growth, typically by means of channels.

As we all understand, the Earth has many landmarks and it is these physical features that create an abundant and organized system within which we thrive. One of the most abundant natural resources on the planet is water and the importance of this element is as crucial as any other. For the fortunate few who get to utilize it, this amazing reserve provides us with our necessity for daily consumption as well as our ability to grow just about anything we please. Common irrigation practices are essential for gathering water into a contained area to grow crops that would not typically survive in areas without heavy rainfall. As a matter of fact, “irrigation is an ancient practice that originated along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iraq” and is now the result of an estimated 40 percent of all crops grown around the world (Water Encyclopedia). This tactic has provided many different cultures with numerous varieties of crops as well as growth in crop yield which in turn dramatically advances human civilization. As we develop into a more progressive society, the tools and systems used to grow our crops also become more intelligent as well as sustainable

This essay is a review of the article “Growing More Food with Less Water”, written by Sandra Postel. According the article, our global freshwater sources, including underground aquifers and rivers are stressed beyond their ability to provide freshwater. Agriculture redesign is necessary with the two primary goals being to cut water demands of mainstream agriculture and bring low cost irrigation to poor farmers. Typical irrigation, crop furrow flooding is a main cause of wasted and polluted water. This article discusses alternatives to typical irrigation. These alternatives have been tested onsite by farers and surveyed.

In Stop Water Abuse by the Almond and Pistachio Empire by Wenonah Hauter (Source C), Hauter suggests that restrictions on irrigation should be made in arid areas of California. These dry areas of California

California employs various irrigation systems. These irrigation systems are condensed into four different groups- sub-surface irrigation, surface irrigation (gravity), sprinkler irrigation, and drip/mico sprinkler irrigation (Orang, Snyder and Matyac). Sub-surface irrigation is when there is a pipe or open ditch that is blocked in order to force the water back to the crop root zone. Approximately two percent of the irrigation in California is done this way in 2001. There are six different type so surface (gravity) irrigation- wild flood, border, basin, furrow irrigation without sprinklers, wheel line sprinklers followed by furrow irrigation, and hand move sprinklers followed by furrow irrigation. Surface (gravity) irrigation is the most common form of irrigation in California; in 2001 it accounted for about 50% of all irrigation in California. There are various types of sprinkler irrigation systems. A few of the ones mentioned in this report include solid set, hand move, linear move, wheel line, and hose pull. The final category of irrigation systems is drip/micro sprinkler irrigation. Drip/micro sprinkler irrigation systems consist of having mini sprinklers above and below ground. This irrigation system made up about 33% of the irrigation in 2001. This type of irrigation would drastically help with water shortages. It would help because it doesn’t flood the fields with water

Imagine walking into your house after being outside on a scorching summer’s day. Beads of sweat drip down your face, and you are completely parched. You turn on your faucet for a glass of water, but nothing comes out. This may sound like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie scene, but it can soon become a reality for those living on the west coast. Decades of unsustainable water practices have led to record low levels of water resources across the western states of the United States. Michelle Nijhuis of National Geographic reports that the western states of California, Nevada, and Arizona face a great deal of issues, due to the fact that their past system of water irrigation has become unsustainable. The first main factor behind this

However, many of the worlds irrigation systems are found in arid, semi arid environments, which climate change will alter significantly in the future (J. D, Connor, Schwabe, K. King, D. Knapp, K. 2011). Nearly one third of the worlds Nearly one-third of the irrigated land worldwide are affected by salinization (Schwabe et al., 2011e).

Irrigation is the best way to care for the lawn, plants, and landscaping. There are many benefits that come from providing water in this way. Watering with the hose can

(Hasan and Özay 2002, 73-74). As Albiac (2008) reports, development of pipe network distribution and drip irrigation methods in other countries led the farmers to have remarkable irrigation efficiency in drought (143). Such technologies have already been used in China, but they are not widely spread in China’s agriculture. One investigation in China on rice paddy irrigation systems development was performed and it revealed that using the fry-foot paddy irrigation (when no water flooded the field) instead of flooding irrigation (when the rice field is completely flooded) significantly (40-60%) reduces water consumption (Xiaoping, Qiangsheng and Bin 2004, 351). Furthermore, drip irrigation method was applied in arid Northern China and it raised the water usage efficiency (Du et al 2007). However, introduction of new irrigation technologies faced some difficulties in China. As Hodstedt (2010) noticed in his article, the water saved by these technologies such as drip irrigation systems was simply spent on more food production and, therefore, did not reduce the water shortage. Also, as he reported, this caused two other environmental problems. Firstly, the water, which was the supply for underground water and aquifers as it was lost by deep percolation and leakage, became unavailable after the water-saving technologies were introduced and this strengthened the aquifers depleting along with its overpumping. Secondly, after

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the land. Farmers no longer have to rely on direct, and sometimes insufficient rainfall to water crops. Perennial irrigation was practiced in the Mesopotamian plain where crops were regularly watered throughout the growing season by water traveling through small channels that were dug in fields.

One type of irrigation, drip irrigation, is a method which plants reach water supply. Drip irrigation is the most widely used method of irrigation in Napa Valley. By directly applying water to either the root zone or to the surrounding soil, this method significantly reduces the amount of water used. In addition, growers are able to control the exact amount of water applied to each vine, reduce evaporation, and minimize surface runoff. Although the water goes around root system, it does not go far and as a result, there is an accumulation of salts. Furthermore, most of the water in California comes from mountains which has salt in them and once that area is flushed, the farmer can also flush the soil. If flushing does not occur, then saline and sodic conditions can possibly

One of the biggest advancements in technology due to agriculture is the irrigation system. The

Farmers over-irrigate and under irrigate their produce causing famines and severe soil erosion. As the nation and the world have sunk into a global water crisis, every drop counts. Day by day, the evaporation rate increases. Farmers can’t tell the maximum and minimum amounts of water in their land. That’s where our innovation comes into play.

Less water means farming and other crops that need water to grow have lower yield. Water is needed to ensure food security, to feed livestock, and to conserve the biodiversity and environment.