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Banner Improved water-use efficiency key to agri sustainability

Improved water-use efficiency key to agri sustainability

On Earth Day 2025, it is valuable to place our focus on water, an indispensable resource for life on earth, and how we use this precious resource in crop production.

Only 34% of global crop production is irrigated, and of that irrigated portion, 60% is grown in areas facing high or extremely high water stress, according to Aqueduct, an interactive fact platform, driven by the World Resource Institute. The next data point to consider is which types of irrigation are used on those crops that are produced under irrigation. Recent data on the distribution of irrigation types in South Africa and globally is not readily available, but it appears that drip irrigation has been adopted on only 4-5% of the world's irrigated land." Sources also suggest that flood irrigation still makes up the majority of irrigation practiced.

Changing the percentages mentioned above is beyond crucial and requires complex, long-term solutions rooted in many aspects of human life. Improving water-use efficiency through precision irrigation must be a key part of these solutions in order to ensure future water security, food security and overall sustainability.

If I imagine a world twenty years from now and see that the adoption of water-efficient precision irrigation technologies, such as drip irrigation, remains at its current percentage, I foresee a somewhat bleak picture,” says Michael Esmeraldo, Managing Director of Netafim Southern and East Africa. Beyond the obvious negative impact on food security and water availability, Esmeraldo highlights two concerns. “Firstly, I believe water quality will be extremely poor and create problems for both agricultural and human welfare. If less and less water is available and we continue to use the water we have inefficiently, the type of poor water quality we see in drought spells will become the norm,” he warns. Esmeraldo points to a second critical issue: access to markets. “I believe that most agricultural export entities and buyers will increasingly set highly efficient water use as a requirement for export approval. Those farmers who have not yet adopted these practices will not have access to export or high-end retail markets.”

He encourages the agricultural industry to be open-minded about new technologies and practices that can raise the efficiency with which they water and other resources. “We need to set aside our sometimes calcified ideas about best practices on the farm and rethink our approach to irrigation and other crop production activities.”

  “Drip irrigation is a proven technology supported by proven field knowledge, do not wait too long before embracing this irrigation method in order to ensure future sustainability. You might not realise it yet, but the pain of staying the same is already greater than the pain of change, both for your farm and the environment.”  

Michael Esmeraldo

Barriers to Adoption

In a recent article about breaking barriers in precision irrigation adoption, Danny Ariel from the Global Netafim Projects team reminds us of a core concept in behavioural economics: individuals often prioritise immediate, less risky benefits over potentially larger but more uncertain future gains."“For many decision-makers, the immediate cost and effort of switching to drip irrigation outweigh the uncertain long-term benefits. This preference for a known routine over unfamiliar efficiency can stall innovation adoption. Moreover, the fragility of farming; rain, flood, wind and droughts make farmers very susceptible to so many problems. The idea of adding another risk factor to the overall uncertainty that dominates their lives is simply not imaginable,” he says. He concludes that it is important for supporting industries to understand and address the multifaceted barriers to the adoption of drip irrigation (and other efficiency-focused technologies) to integrate these technologies into farming practices across the globe. “With targeted support and a deeper appreciation of the local contexts in which farmers operate, the crucial path to widespread adoption of drip irrigation, and ultimately more sustainable agricultural practices can be significantly smoothed,” he says.

Click here to read his full article.

Agriculture is continuously challenged to produce more with less - to feed the rapidly growing population with limited resources whilst protecting the environment for future generations. In our efforts to rise to this challenge, says Gerdie de Lange, Marketing Manager at Netafim Southern and East Africa, increased efficiency on existing agricultural lands should be a primary focus. “Rather than focusing on increasing the hectares planted or gaining access to increased resources, I believe the focus should be on more efficient use of existing resources. Let’s work with what have and continue to efficiency in all our practices to ensure future sustainability and growth.”

“The more we align irrigation with soil movement dynamics, the greater our ability to enhance both sustainability and profitability in agriculture.”

Charl van Reenen

Agronomy and Water-use efficiency

In conversations about drip irrigation, you would often hear this phrase: "𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑝 𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦." Drip irrigation is often perceived as difficult to manage or complicated, with the notion that complex agronomic and hydraulic principles must first be mastered. “Drip irrigation does require certain management activities and might require understanding a few concepts, the perception that it is difficult and complicated is however completely skewed,” says Charl van Reenen, Agronomy Manager for Netafim Southern and East Africa. He says that massive potential can be unlocked if you get certain basics right, learn from others’ experience and involve the necessary experts when necessary.

What must in fact be well-understood, says Van Reenen, is not drip irrigation itself, but rather the movement of water in soil. This is not only true for drip irrigation management but the management of any irrigation method and many crop management practices. “Efficient irrigation is not about applying water in a certain way, it is about understanding how it moves through soil. Once again this is not necessarily difficult. It is easy to illustrate in practice and requires us to do basic actions such as commissioning soil analysis, digging profile pits and more to collect the necessary data for informed decision-making.” Charl explains that a tailored irrigation strategy that takes into account how water is delivered by the specific irrigation system and how water moves through the specific soil, combined with quality precision irrigation equipment, will enable farmers to produce more high-quality crops while conserving water and saving input costs. “The more we align irrigation with soil movement dynamics, the greater our ability to enhance both sustainability and profitability in agriculture.”

Van Reenen addresses two important agronomic misconceptions in irrigation management:

  • The water holding capacity of soils is often still underestimated and the movement of water in our soils not sufficiently understood. There are many factors to consider in this regard, especially considering the physical, chemical and organic attributes of soil.
  • It is often underestimated how much water can be lost if we irrigate past the root zone. It is not only evaporation and run-off that we must be concerned about. This is why lower flow rates have a lot of potential in our plight to achieve optimal irrigation. Losing water beyond the root zone is not only a disadvantage in terms of water-use efficiency but will also lead to fertilizer leaching.

Click here to read about low flow drip irrigation.

Van Reenen raises another important consideration in future agricultural sustainability. “There is a definite downward trend in soil quality on farms and we very often find increased soil salinity. Efficient irrigation can also be a tool in managing this risk.” Van Reenen explains that efficient irrigation through proper irrigation scheduling will ensure that you never irrigate beyond the active root zone. “Your scheduling approach may require longer irrigation from time to time to replenish the subsoil based on crop requirements and environmental conditions. “The overall goal is however to keep water and nutrients within the active root zone. This ensures that the plant effectively uses what we provide, preventing salts from accumulating in the soil over time.”

He says that equipment, such as probes, is an important asset in accurately setting up a scheduling program. “It provides valuable insight for the producer, showing how water moves through the soil profile and whether irrigation is exceeding the active root zone. We must give the plant only what it needs, focusing on irrigating and feeding the crop, not the soil.”

Proactive and sustainable

The well-known author, coach and motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, once said: “Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.”

Esmeraldo encourages the agricultural industry to be proactive and take action before they are forced to confront challenges greater than those posed by the process of change. “Drip irrigation is a proven technology supported by proven field knowledge, do not wait too long before embracing this irrigation method in order to ensure future sustainability. You might not realise it yet, but the pain of staying the same is already greater than the pain of change, both for your farm and the environment.”