A recent study published by TCP Partners, an investment and management firm, predicts that Brazil’s irrigated area could increase by 4.2 million hectares by 2040, reaching more than 12 million irrigated hectares.

This data shows the size of the potential of irrigated agriculture in the country. But for these figures to be confirmed, the use of technology is essential.

The most interesting thing is that all the technological contributions of irrigation, called smart irrigation or precision irrigation, are beginning to be used by more farmers throughout the country.

To learn more about the use of technology in irrigated agriculture, we spoke with Luís Henrique Bassoi, a researcher at Embrapa Instrumentation and an expert in the field.

Irrigated agriculture: smarter and more productive every day

Irrigation is one of the most important agricultural practices in today’s agriculture. Farmers believe they can achieve high levels of productivity in certain regions or at certain times of the year, and according to Bassoi, they can!

“It can be said that the productivity obtained with irrigation can be 2 or even 3 times higher, depending on the type of crop and where it is grown”, he explains.

The researcher also explains that there are cases in which, without irrigation, it is very unlikely to obtain a minimally positive agricultural production, as is the case in the semi-arid region.

In addition, there are other aspects that show how important irrigated agriculture is.

First of all, there is the security that the agricultural producer has with the use of irrigation in the face of the possibility of periods of little or no rainfall during the cycle of an agricultural crop.

Another one is the quality gain that the producer can have in the harvest of his product, especially the vegetable and fruit species.

In addition to all this, Bassai cites the socio-economic aspect as a great benefit. “Irrigated agriculture promotes the creation of jobs and income in the countryside, and the maintenance or increase of the activity of service providers and the industry of equipment and accessories for the practice of irrigation”.

Smart irrigation – Technology combined with productivity

In recent years, irrigation has evolved thanks to technological advances. In this context, Luís Bassoi explains that the practice of irrigation must be both effective and efficient, where:

Effective – definition of the moment of water application by an irrigation system in use (when to irrigate?), depending on the demand of water by the crop;

Efficient – represented by the application of a volume of water by the same irrigation system, so that the soil layer is moistened, always with the greatest possible uniformity over the irrigated area.

Thus, for this practice to be efficient, the researcher points out that it is necessary to practice irrigation management.

“In summary, this management means the use of technical criteria to define the moment of irrigation and the amount of water to be applied by an irrigation system”.

In recent years, with the advancement of knowledge and the development of instruments, automation, connectivity and the Internet of Things, Bassai explains that there are many parameters used as criteria for irrigation management, including the variability of these measures in space and time.

Since then, Bassai points out that the term smart irrigation has often been used, commercially and positively, to show how irrigating can be effective and efficient, resulting in higher productivity.

“The greater supply of tools for this management, to be carried out by the irrigating producer, contributes to the desired effectiveness and efficiency of irrigation. At the same time, it also contributes to the sustainability of irrigated agriculture,” concludes Bassoi.

Key benefits of smart irrigation agriculture

When applied efficiently and effectively, smart irrigation offers a number of benefits to the production system, including:

  • Ability to automatically collect, transmit, store and process data by applications, even in different locations of one or more irrigated areas;
  • Control (on/monitor/off) the distance of certain irrigation systems (center pivot, drip);
  • Ideal for periods of water uncertainty, which are increasingly common in the country;
  • Greater savings in power, labor and time;
  • Data is quickly processed and turned into information when it is entered into applications. “This data will help us decide whether or not to irrigate at that time, and if so, how much”, adds Bassai.

 “With all this technological contribution, we have been able to show society how responsible this agricultural sector is in terms of water use”, adds the researcher.

Irrigation technologies most used in Brazilian agriculture

Irrigated agriculture is constantly evolving. For Luís Bassoi there are two categories of technologies related to it. Irrigation technologies and technologies used in irrigation.

For the researcher, there are many with these focuses, such as:

  • Use of irrigation systems in large areas and in a circular shape (central pivot) or in a rectangular shape (lateral);
  • The possibility of transporting a central pivot system from one area to another (mobile system);
  • Irrigation of the so-called corners of the circular irrigated area through extensions of the central pivot, which use a Global Positioning System (GPS);
  • Use of resistant material for the manufacture of polyethylene hoses;
  • Self-compensating drippers with greater accuracy in the desired flow;
  • Lightweight, durable and high quality sprinklers that can provide good uniformity of water distribution;
  • Valves and filtration systems, including automated ones;
  • Digital panels
  • Software for various purposes;
  • Sensors for soil and plant measurements;
  • Station with sensors for automatic measurement and transmission of meteorological data; etc.

How can these smart irrigation technologies be applied?

Bassoi points out that, given the large number of technologies available, several aspects must be evaluated together in order to implement an irrigation system and its technology.

In general, the researcher explains that it is desirable for the producer or irrigation technician to have knowledge of:

  • The amount of water available for irrigation during an agricultural year. “If you have a historical record about this, the better”, the researcher explains;
  • Rainfall in the region. “The historical record is important because irrigation may not be necessary at certain times of the year, which can be economically advantageous”, he suggests;
  • The type of soil in the area to be irrigated (pedological survey);
  • Agronomic aspects of the crops of interest.

In view of these recommendations, a careful design of the irrigation system adapted to the area and the crop is indispensable and, in a complementary way, the establishment of an irrigation management.

Finally, training is desirable if the grower is a beginner in irrigated agriculture.