Irrigation Systems: Centre pivot vs Drip-irrigation

Irrigation is the artificial application of water on the soil surface to assist the growth of crops. Irrigation uses an excessive volume of water which accounts for a proportion of the water use in the sector. More efficient system is required to reduce the water stress and limit the effects of the crisis.. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) [1] and Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) [2] are two large MENA economies, where water shortages have resulted in them applying technological solutions such as desalination[3] and use of waste water for irrigation which both have ecological impacts associated with them.

"...so the Saudis, among others, have taken to greening the desert..."

Centre pivot irrigation system is applied by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)and the drip system by Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).  KSA crop production is predominantly fallow, alfalfa and wheat, compared to the fairly Mediterranean climate of Israel/OPT which allows water rich crops such as various fruits and vegetable to be grown. Centre pivot in KSA allows localised crop growth as shown in the photo above, and is heavily reliant on the aquifer below but sustained usage can result in lower crop yields and soil degradation. To tackle the growing water scarcity problems, the KSA government intends to increase its application and reliance on desalination plants. The KSA is already the world's largest producer of desalinated water, which has economic and environmental issues- requires high volume of finance and disrupts the local ecosystem. Furthermore to meet the agricultural and national water demands the KSA will invest in a dam within the desert region to increase its available water resources.

‘Solutions’ which applied by KSA is not sustainable due to the overuse of the water. By contrast, Israel/OPT agriculture is (more growingly) invested in drip irrigation system[4], an efficient method of reducing excess (irrigation) water. 

For more information click here  and here. 

Drip-irrigation System: Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories

Drip-irrigation application in an Israeli kibbutz

Drip-irrigation is readily being employed in Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories. It uses micro-scale network of pipes which directly feed water onto the crops. It minimises the excess run off of water which is lost to wind and evaporation. Whilst the concept of drip-irrigation has exited for decades, engineer Simcha Blass allowed it to be developed it into a more effective technology and created his business, Netafim, based on this. It has impacted food supply issues in areas of water pressure and scarcity, in Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories limiting the impact of national water shortages. Netafim has also been applied in Senegal where growing water scarcity was reducing agricultural production. 

It is a readily applicable and sustainable solution, both environmentally & economically viable, to address the water shortages. It focuses on reducing current unsustainable water usage in agricultural practices but also increasing the productivity of water , with the ability to provide local to national/regional benefits, which will then tackle the global water crisis. Predominantly being used at a local level by stakeholders such as farmers in kibbutz, it has gained global accreditation and application. 

To find out more about the technical side of drip-irrigation click here.