Creating Great Agricultural Spaces

Drip irrigation has been used for thousands of years as an efficient, direct method of irrigating large areas of land. New developments in drip irrigation techniques have led to the rise of mobile drip irrigation, which may be even more effective in some circumstances. While this technology is still new, farmers may want to consider it as a way to reduce their costs and improve their yields.

What is Mobile Drip Irrigation?

Mobile drip irrigation uses an irrigation system that is dragged across a larger body of land. Rather than setting out drip irrigation lines throughout the property, the lines are instead slowly pulled across the property, dripping water into the soil as it is moved. Mobile drip irrigation uses a large, suspended rack of tubing which can be easily drawn across fields. It is very similar to existing technologies which used these types of racks to spray water across fields directly.

What Are the Advantages of Mobile Drip Irrigation?

Mobile drip irrigation has a few major advantages when compared to traditional drip irrigation technology:

• The flow of water is completely controlled. A traditional trip system will disperse the same amount of water throughout the entirety of the system. A mobile drip irrigation system can be controlled by pausing the system or by lingering over specific areas, allowing for more water to be distributed in specific portions of a farm or a field. 
• The amount of equipment is reduced. Rather than having to irrigate an entire property, a farm with mobile drip irrigation can instead just invest in a few racks which can be used across their farm.
• The system is more sustainable. Ultimately, the mobile drip irrigation system will use less water, because the water can be focused on specific areas where it's needed rather than more water having to be applied to the entire system.
• The equipment is easier to maintain. Farmers would not need to inspect and maintain an entire system but instead just their localized equipment before it's used. This also reduces the chances of things such as leaks, which could be a waste of both money and water.
• The system can take the place of existing irrigation systems. Spray irrigation systems operate similarly but waste more water than drip irrigation; these systems can be fitted with mobile drip irrigation for better results.

Mobile drip irrigation promises to be a technology with many advantages. It's worth it to explore this technology for farms that haven't yet invested in a traditional drip irrigation system, as the costs may be far less while yielding very similar results.