James Adkins, an irrigation professional in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the University of Delaware,  came to our class last Wednesday to share some insights on the relevance of irrigation in the agriculture industry. Currently, 20% of the world’s farmland is irrigated, but still amounts to 40% for our global crop production.

Irrigation technologies, like many other areas in the agriculture industry, have been rapidly innovating. From uses of flood irrigation in ancient societies, crop farmers now utilize drip and center pivot irrigation techniques. These technologies provide the needed amounts of water to the crops, while being precise in the output. This form of precision agriculture limits excess water waste.