With this year’s theme of Smart irrigation. Sustainable solutions., throughout the month the Irrigation Association and its members will be promoting how using smart irrigation technologies and practices is providing solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. We reached out to some ag irrigation industry leaders to get their thoughts and asked them to answer this question:

How can smart irrigation impact our global future?

By 2050 we will need to produce 60% more food to feed a growing population with 20% less arable land and 25% less water than we need. Essentially, we need to grow more with less. Smart irrigation will no longer be a choice, but rather a necessity. Fortunately, the technologies and services exist to give farmers the tools to not only be stewards of their land and our environment but also increase their yield while doing so. I continue to be in impressed with the resilience of our nation’s farmers and feel privileged to work alongside them in growing our food in a sustainable way.

– Mike Hemman
President and CEO, Netafim USA

As the changing climate continues to impact the world, smart irrigation technology will be a key component determining the survival of farming regions worldwide. We think about having access to irrigation as what determines prosperity in farming, but we are approaching a time not so far off where it will be access to smart irrigation technology that will decide the fate of farming regions. Furthermore, smart irrigation technology will prove to be even more important in maximizing the productivity of farms. Less farmland available means that remaining farmland will need to increase yields in order to sustain production and meet the demand of a growing global population. We will see a continued shift over the next decade of new smart irrigation technology that is focused less on reducing water use and more on increasing water productivity.

– Ze’ev Barylka
Chief Commercial Officer, Rivulis North America

Smart irrigation is the next step in the evolution of responsible water management. The global demand for fresh water will require continuous advancement of sustainable water use practices. Smart irrigation allows us to leverage breakthrough technologies of dynamic regulation and low-pressure applicators for the highest efficiency in applied irrigation. The legacy of smart irrigation will be its contribution to the conservation of water, our most valuable global resource.

– Paul Simmons
Product Strategy Director, Senninger Irrigation

For more information about Smart Irrigation Month,
go to www.smartirrigationmonth.org.