Frank A. Ward (Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business, New Mexico State University) and Manuel Pulido-Velazquez (Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering–Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering, Universidad Polite´ cnica de Valencia) recently published a scholarly article which suggests that water conservation subsidies will not provide farmers with economic incentives to reduce water depletion. A focus of the study was drip irrigation. While its benefits were discussed, the research suggests drip irrigation does not necessarily save water when considered from a basin scale. The entire scholarly article can be read at:
Net Irrigate commends Ward and Pulido-Velazquez for their research efforts. In addition to the insightful content, one particular paragraph of their report struck a cord with us:
“What measures can be taken to promote real water savings?
A first step could be accurate accounting of basinwide water use.
Water accounting analyzes use, depletion, and productivity of
water at the basin scale*. Accurate accounting and measurement
of water use can help identify opportunities for water
savings, increase water productivity, and improve the rationale
for water allocation among uses*.”
*Molden D (2007) Water For Food, Water For Life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture (Earthscan, London).
At Net Irrigate, we take water accounting seriously. Our telemetry solutions coupled with our web based reporting and data analysis tools store up to five years of historical data and provide high degrees of granularity. Our graphical components make analyzing data easy. What good are flow meter and conservation programs if stakeholders cannot have timely access to data? Proactive measures can better be taken when data is in workable formats and free from lags.
