IRRIGATION

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil through various systems of
tubes, pumps, and sprays. Irrigation is usually used in areas where rainfall is irregular or dry
times or drought is expected. There are many types of irrigation systems, in which water is
supplied to the entire field uniformly. Irrigation water can come from groundwater, through
springs or wells, surface water, through rivers, lakes, or reservoirs, or even other sources,
such as treated wastewater or desalinated water. As a result, it is critical that farmers protect
their agricultural water source to minimize the potential for contamination. As with any
groundwater removal, users of irrigation water need to be careful in not pumping
groundwater out of an aquifer faster than it is being recharged.

Irrigation is also the application of controlled amounts of water to plants at needed

intervals. Irrigation helps grow agricultural crops, maintain landscapes, and revegetate
disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. Irrigation also has other
uses in crop production, including frost protection, suppressing weed growth in grain fields
and preventing soil consolidation. In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is
referred to as rain-fed or dry land farming. Irrigation systems are also used for cooling
livestock, dust suppression, disposal of sewage, and in mining. Irrigation is often studied
together with drainage, which is the removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given
area. Irrigation has been a central feature of agriculture for over 5,000 years and is the
product of many cultures. Historically, it was the basis for economies and societies across the
globe, from Asia to the Southwestern United State.