You’ve probably spent most of your life hearing about the importance of water conservation. Congress created the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 1964, indicating it was already of vital concern.
On the surface, the reasons for water conservation appear obvious—avoiding water waste seems like common sense. Even so, most people are unaware of the larger role that water conservation can play and why sustainable practices are so important in industries like agriculture. Far more than simply extending the availability of resources, water conservation in agriculture is critical for minimizing environmental impact, improving the output and efficiency of production, and reducing the final price tag for consumers.
Below, we’ll discuss why acting to conserve water during agricultural processes is more important than ever, as well as some of the advanced techniques that farmers are employing to facilitate doing so. We’ll also offer a few tips for what you can do to support your local farms in their ongoing commitment to sustainable agriculture.
How Traditional Irrigation Can Be Wasteful
All crops, of course, depend on a steady and reliable source of water to grow and thrive. For this reason, farmers have developed various methods of irrigation, with a system of sprinklers being the most commonly used in modern times. The sprinklers are activated on a schedule designed to meet the needs of whichever crop is being grown on a specific plot of farmland.
The issue with this method, however, is that it is extremely inefficient. When water is haphazardly sprayed across a plot of land, some of it finds its way to the root systems of the crops, but a great deal of it is lost to evaporation or runoff.
When the water used in irrigation becomes runoff, it is often contaminated by pesticides, fertilizers, and soil. This means that even when it reenters the water cycle, it’s no longer able to sustain a pristine local ecosystem.
How Conservation Helps Sustain Crop Yields
Modern methods of irrigation focus on optimizing water usage during agricultural production, meaning that they are designed to provide crops with exactly as much moisture as they need: no more, no less. One of the most commonly employed new techniques is called drip irrigation. With this method, water is delivered directly to the root systems of the plants at a slow and consistent rate. The rate and volume of the water are controlled by computer and determined based on factors such as the type of crop, the time of year, and the expected climate for the current season.
Besides reducing waste, techniques like these have the added benefit of improving and sustaining crop yields, since the amount of water provided is scientifically calculated to be the perfect amount for maximum output. Runoff and other environmentally damaging side effects are greatly reduced, while crop health and long-term soil quality are improved significantly.
It Also Preserves Natural Resources
Much of the water used in agriculture is drawn locally from lakes, rivers, and streams. When water conservation doesn’t receive the focus it should, these resources are not effectively replenished. While some of the water does reenter the local water cycle, it may be contaminated by pesticides and other harmful substances, as mentioned above. The contamination of the local water supply in an area has a great deal of impact on the environment as a consequence. For example, toxins in the water can accumulate in the food chain, poisoning native plant and animal life, or fertilizers can encourage algae overgrowth that eventually starves out other species.
Acting to preserve water resources during agricultural processes helps to reduce the amount of moisture that is removed from the natural water cycle and ensures that the surrounding ecosystem can survive and thrive alongside local farms.
How Conservation Helps Us Adapt to Climate Challenges
Changing climate patterns have placed a great deal of additional stress on local communities, as hotter temperatures and increased droughts have made staple crops more difficult and expensive to grow. The increased demand on the water supply means that scarce resources must be stretched further. Implementing modern conservation practices helps to mitigate some of this impact.
One way farmers are now managing the impact of climate stresses on their water resources is crop rotation. Traditional farming methods tend to try to force certain crops to grow well beyond the times of year when they will be most successful. This typically means they will demand additional water and deplete the soil of critical nutrients. By switching up the types of crops grown in a given plot of land during different seasons, however, farmers can improve the long-term health of the soil and, therefore, reduce the need for excessive watering.
Cost Savings for Farmers … and Consumers
By investing in sustainable farming practices, including water conservation, farmers can reduce up-front costs, savings that get passed along to consumers, ultimately leading to cheaper food at the supermarket. Consider the fact that if a greater output can be produced with a smaller amount of resources, then farmers will have larger yields. This increased supply means more profitable farms and downward pressure on prices.
Investing in water conservation also means more resources to go around for other agricultural projects. More water available means that areas can support more local farms, creating an increase in economic activity and increasing the availability of food in an area.
How You Can Support Water Conservation
Whether you are a farmer yourself or simply a consumer, there are several ways you can support agricultural water conservation in your area. If you are a farmer, you can consider joining a coalition to support sustainability. For example, the Washington State Potato Commission is made up of potato farmers from the state who have joined together to support one another in improving water conservation and food access.
Even if you are not a farmer, you can support local conservation efforts by helping to spread the word about water conservation, as well as volunteering your time or donating to environmental organizations in your area. Working together, we can help to reduce food costs and increase access for people across the world.
