By Priscilla C. Nwachukwu
What if the real threat to our food security is not land or seeds, but water?
Across many farming communities today, water bodies are becoming increasingly polluted, especially due to illegal mining activities. Rivers and streams that once sustained life are now unsafe, not just for humans and animals, but for crops as well. Plants are living organisms too, and contaminated water affects their growth, productivity, and long-term soil health.
This reality forces us to confront a hard truth. We must manage the clean water resources we have left and make smarter use of harvested rainwater for crop production.
This is where water-smart farming comes in.
More Read
Water-smart farming focuses on producing more food using less water without compromising crop health. One of the most effective technologies driving this shift is drip irrigation, a system that delivers water directly to the root zone of plants in controlled quantities, reducing wastage from evaporation and runoff.
I experienced this firsthand while operating and studying a drip irrigation system set up by my colleague Doreen Amoanu Buadee and her team. In their study, the drip irrigated crops were grown alongside another row of pepper plants that were watered manually using a watering can as a control setup. Watching both systems side by side was eye opening. The result was that both produced equally healthy, high-quality yields, but the drip irrigated crops used significantly less water.
Beyond water savings, the system reduced labor, saved time, and opened doors to precision agriculture. With drip irrigation, it becomes possible to integrate sensors, data analytics, and even AI, administering specific water quantities, sometimes mixed with fertilizer through fertigation, based on the exact needs of each plant.
More Read
Other water-smart technologies also play a role. These include rainwater harvesting systems for dry season farming, soil moisture sensors that prevent over irrigation, mulching and conservation tillage to reduce evaporation, and sprinkler or micro irrigation systems designed for efficiency.
In a world where clean water is shrinking and demand is rising, farming the old way is no longer sustainable. Adopting water-smart practices is not just good for the environment. It is good for productivity, profitability, and the future of food.
Have you seen water-smart farming technologies work in practice, or are you considering adopting one? I would love to hear your thoughts.
The writer is a Sustainable Agriculture and Smart Food Systems advocate with a background in Agricultural Engineering and research experience in urban agriculture and sustainable soil remediation. You can reach her via LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/priscilla-nwachukwu
Sustainable food futures | from farm to fork: Why food loss is a bigger problem than food production
