Traditional flood irrigation systems use far more water than microdrip irrigation.
Traditional flood irrigation systems use far more water than microdrip irrigation.
2 / 19
An N-Drip system feeds water into a cotton field.
An N-Drip system feeds water into a cotton field.
3 / 19
A canal with a flood irrigation system is on the right. For comparison, the cotton field on the left of the road is irrigated with N-Drip system.
A canal with a flood irrigation system is on the right. For comparison, the cotton field...READ ON
A canal with a flood irrigation system is on the right. For comparison, the cotton field on the left of the road is irrigated with N-Drip system.
4 / 19
N-Drip tubes feed water into rows of cotton.
N-Drip tubes feed water into rows of cotton.
5 / 19
A farm laborer performs maintenance work on the flood irrigation system. This labor is not required for the N-Drip system.
A farm laborer performs maintenance work on the flood irrigation system. This labor is...READ ON
A farm laborer performs maintenance work on the flood irrigation system. This labor is not required for the N-Drip system.
6 / 19
N-Drip system irrigating a cotton field.
N-Drip system irrigating a cotton field.
7 / 19
A butterfly and bee pause on cotton flowers near a developing boll in a field irrigated with the N-Drip system.
A butterfly and bee pause on cotton flowers near a developing boll in a field irrigated...READ ON
A butterfly and bee pause on cotton flowers near a developing boll in a field irrigated with the N-Drip system.
8 / 19
Bill Perry stands in one of his cotton fields, irrigated with the N-Drip system. He mentioned that a huge benefit of the N-Drip system, in addition to the water conservation, is that it is far less labor intensive than traditional flood irrigation, which saves him significant labor costs.
Bill Perry stands in one of his cotton fields, irrigated with the N-Drip system. He...READ ON
Bill Perry stands in one of his cotton fields, irrigated with the N-Drip system. He mentioned that a huge benefit of the N-Drip system, in addition to the water conservation, is that it is far less labor intensive than traditional flood irrigation, which saves him significant labor costs.
9 / 19
Water flows into a flood irrigation canal on a farm in Tonopah, AZ.
Water flows into a flood irrigation canal on a farm in Tonopah, AZ.
10 / 19
The Colorado River is a major water source in the southwest USA which is increasingly managed as water becomes more scarce.
CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
The Colorado River is a major water source in the southwest USA which is increasingly...READ ON
The Colorado River is a major water source in the southwest USA which is increasingly managed as water becomes more scarce. CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
11 / 19
Tubing from the N-Drip system left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested. The drip irrigation system was installed this year as a trial, and much of it has been removed following the harvest, but the farm hopes to expand their use of the system in coming seasons.
CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
Tubing from the N-Drip system left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested. The...READ ON
Tubing from the N-Drip system left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested. The drip irrigation system was installed this year as a trial, and much of it has been removed following the harvest, but the farm hopes to expand their use of the system in coming seasons. CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
12 / 19
Josh Moore, General Manager of CRIT Farm, walks on part of their irrigation and water system.
CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
Josh Moore, General Manager of CRIT Farm, walks on part of their irrigation and water...READ ON
Josh Moore, General Manager of CRIT Farm, walks on part of their irrigation and water system. CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
13 / 19
The canal near a sorghum field has internal waterfalls to help create water pressure to feed the flood irrigation system.
CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
The canal near a sorghum field has internal waterfalls to help create water pressure to...READ ON
The canal near a sorghum field has internal waterfalls to help create water pressure to feed the flood irrigation system. CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
14 / 19
Tubing from the N-Drip system is left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested. The drip irrigation system was installed this year as a trial, and much of it has been removed following the harvest, but the farm hopes to expand their use of the system in coming seasons.
CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
Tubing from the N-Drip system is left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested....READ ON
Tubing from the N-Drip system is left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested. The drip irrigation system was installed this year as a trial, and much of it has been removed following the harvest, but the farm hopes to expand their use of the system in coming seasons. CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
15 / 19
Hay bales sit alongside a road on CRIT Farms. This hay had been ordered by a department of transportation to help with erosion near roads.
Colorado River Indian Reservation
Hay bales sit alongside a road on CRIT Farms. This hay had been ordered by a department...READ ON
Hay bales sit alongside a road on CRIT Farms. This hay had been ordered by a department of transportation to help with erosion near roads. Colorado River Indian Reservation
16 / 19
Tubing from the N-Drip system is left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested. The drip irrigation system was installed this year as a trial, and much of it has been removed following the harvest, but the farm hopes to expand their use of the system in coming seasons.
CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
Tubing from the N-Drip system is left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested....READ ON
Tubing from the N-Drip system is left in a field of sorghum which was already harvested. The drip irrigation system was installed this year as a trial, and much of it has been removed following the harvest, but the farm hopes to expand their use of the system in coming seasons. CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
17 / 19
Josh Moore, General Manager of CRIT Farms, holds grains of sorghum leftover after the harvest.
CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
Josh Moore, General Manager of CRIT Farms, holds grains of sorghum leftover after the...READ ON
Josh Moore, General Manager of CRIT Farms, holds grains of sorghum leftover after the harvest. CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
18 / 19
Canals formerly used in the flood irrigation system at CRIT Farms.
Colorado River Indian Reservation
Canals formerly used in the flood irrigation system at CRIT Farms. Colorado River Indian...READ ON
Canals formerly used in the flood irrigation system at CRIT Farms. Colorado River Indian Reservation
19 / 19
Sunset along the Colorado River.
CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
Sunset along the Colorado River. CRIT Farms, Colorado River Indian Reservation
"A tiny piece of plastic is helping farmers use far less water. An Israeli company’s modest innovation in drip irrigation could forever change agriculture, especially in resource-starved environments... N-Drip is the brainchild of Uri Shani, a professor of soil physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a former chairman of Israel’s water authority. He set out seven years ago to devise a microdrip irrigation system cheap enough to make sense not just for lettuces and berries but also commodity crops such as soy and corn, which make up the bulk of the world’s agricultural output." - Elizabeth G. Dunn
Drip irrigation is an innovative method which uses drastically less water than traditional flood irrigation, with more consistent water distribution throughout the fields, less fertilizer wasted through runoff, and far less labor needed to maintain the system.
As the southwest USA grapples with climate change and an ongoing severe drought, and water resources like the Colorado River are shrinking and increasingly controlled, methods like this one offer promise for the future to conserve agricultural water use without affecting crop output negatively.
Photographed for Bloomberg Businessweek, see the full story here.
Molly Peters Photography
Molly Peters is a Tucson-based photographer working in fine art photography and documentary storytelling.