Irrigated crops help to sustain local rural economies and support the Nation’s livestock, food processing, transportation and energy sectors. Sustainable agriculture is also about empowering farmers and workers, providing safe work conditions, and addressing daunting, entrenched problems like child labor and forced displacement.
This methodology analyzes the supply guarantees and number of severe irrigation water supply failures for Maiorga alternative design rehabilitation and modernization options under two CC scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and two periods (2041-2070 and 2071-2100)..
Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Using sustainable farming practices promotes crop health and environmental sustainability. It reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides that harm ecosystems, and it ensures future food security by focusing on long-term productivity rather than quick yields. It also helps combat climate change by sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Water conservation is a crucial aspect of sustainable agriculture. By improving irrigation practices such as dripping and he thong tuoi nho giot to deliver water directly to plant roots, and by minimizing water waste through evaporation, runoff, and soil erosion, farmers can minimize water use and protect the environment.
By promoting biodiversity and encouraging crop diversity, sustainable farming helps improve ecosystem resilience, pollination, natural pest management, and soil fertility. It also provides a range of economic benefits to farmers. For example, a premium paid to buyers of organic crops or for growing certain sustainable crops can encourage adoption of these practices, and government-led programs that pay farmers for following basic environmental standards can motivate farmers as well. Farmers report that incentives that generate a return on investment are the most effective motivators for implementing sustainable agricultural practices.
Efficient Water Use in Agriculture
The challenge for irrigated agriculture is to increase crop yields in order to meet growing demand while preserving water resources and soil quality. The latter is critical for food availability and affordability, while the former is essential to farmers’ livelihoods and incomes.
Efficient irrigation means that crop growth takes place with the minimum amount of withdrawn water. This can be measured as either the marketable crop produced per unit of water used (water use efficiency) or in terms of above-ground dry biomass produced (per hectare).
Regardless of the criteria chosen, improving the overall performance of irrigation systems will lead to greater water conservation and equal distribution. Water conservation can be achieved by minimizing losses through runoff and direct evaporation, as well as through seepage and transpiration by weeds; maximizing the efficiency of tillage and fertilization; and reducing soil erosion.
Water savings can also be accomplished through a combination of measures such as improving irrigation system design, application rate and timing, applying deficit irrigation and adjusting planting and harvesting strategies to reduce water requirement. Other approaches include abandoning salty or shallow soil areas, allowing land to be permanently retired through purchase by urban populations, and improving the performance of the underlying irrigation infrastructure.
Smart Irrigation Technologies
Organisations involved in the agricultural sector and related industries are keen on utilising smart irrigation technologies to reduce costs and augment work efficiency. These Smart irrigation systems can lower water usage significantly by detecting the level of moisture in the soil and determining the amount of water needed to maintain optimal growth.
The smart controllers that operate these systems use rain sensors and soil moisture sensors to extract relevant data and take appropriate actions. For example, if the rain sensor detects that the soil is moist enough it will adjust the timed and automated irrigation cycle to stop the next scheduled watering event.
The smart controllers can also integrate weather-based sensors that automatically calculate the rate of plant transpiration and water evaporation to trigger real-time adjustments in the irrigation system. These integrated systems are generally more expensive than the add-on sensors but, when properly programmed and used on an efficient irrigation system, can typically achieve 20 to 40 percent water savings. This translates to higher crop yields and lower water bills. Moreover, the data can be remotely accessed from smartphones, enabling farmers to make the best decisions about water-saving strategies.
Water Conservation in Farming
Sustainable irrigation practices help growers maximize crop yields while conserving water and reducing chemical use. These methods improve soil health and reduce environmental impact, while promoting economic growth for farmers and communities.
Agricultural irrigation consumes over 72% of global freshwater withdrawals and has led to water scarcity problems at local to international scales1. Using the right methods for irrigating crops can increase crop production while minimizing water waste and improving overall soil quality.
Water conservation in farming includes implementing irrigation systems that capture and reuse rainwater or surface water. Whether it’s using rainwater collection tanks, recharge pits, or capturing runoff from roofs, this is a great way to reduce water waste and replenish aquifers.
Keeping water waste to a minimum also involves efficient metering and scheduling. For example, irrigation should be scheduled for conditions with low evaporative demand, such as in the pre-dawn hours. This will minimize evaporative water loss from the soil surface and promote the uptake of groundwater into the root zone. It also helps to ensure that the injected water is distributed evenly throughout the field.
Climate-Resilient Irrigation Systems
Irrigation is a prominent climate adaptation solution that can alleviate heat- and water-stress to crops and reduce climate variability and extremes. It also increases crop yields, while reducing soil erosion and encroachment of natural ecosystems. However, implementing sustainable irrigation requires adequate knowledge of agricultural water and energy demand, climatic changes and hydroclimatic feedbacks, and the development of water-saving technologies.
In addition to improving irrigation efficiency, agroforestry and terracing can improve soil moisture by reducing nonproductive evaporation, and mulching and no-till farming increase crop water productivity by reducing weed competition. Additionally, re-using irrigation effluent or groundwater can significantly reduce energy requirements for pumping, especially during droughts.
With these techniques, countries can significantly reduce their energy and water costs by avoiding wasteful irrigation (figure 5). Under 3 degC warmer climate conditions, sustainable irrigation expansion could feed additional 166 million people worldwide. This demonstrates that expanding irrigation is a key strategy to meet future global food demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preserving natural ecosystems. It is therefore essential to explore and discover affordable measures to make irrigated agriculture more resilient to ongoing evidence of climate change.