RESEARCH & IRRIGATION
New irrigation study guides IIC’s research program priorities for upcoming projects.
I
n fall of 2021, the Irrigation Association, Fairfax, Virginia, and the Irrigation Innovation Consortium, Fort Collins, Colorado, collaborated to ask irrigation
sector representatives to identify the kinds of research, information and other efforts they’d like to see supporting irrigation technology advancement and adoption. Questions for this “Irrigation Industry Survey and Needs Assessment” were emailed to the IA’s membership list.
A total of 414 people completed the survey. As a group, respondents self-identified as being manufacturers, dealers, distributors, tech startups, trade organizations, software developers, consultants, “on- farm,” government and utilities, landscape contractors, or educators. Industry consultant Inge Bisconer, CID, CLIA, led the IIC in conducting 20 follow- up interviews with a diverse group of irrigation sector representatives.
This study serves as an example of mutual efforts that the IA and IIC intend to work on in months ahead to support the irrigation industry, promote the benefits of efficient irrigation and advance irrigation management. During the Irrigation Show and Education Week, outgoing IA CEO Deborah Hamlin, CAE, FASAE, and IIC Executive Director Timothy Martin, PhD, signed a memorandum of understanding to formally recognize this shared commitment.
communities in effectively addressing management goals and challenges.
The survey and interviews revealed significant interest in supporting projects that will clarify the potential benefits of various precision and advanced irrigation tools and methods, including quantifying water, nutrient, energy and labor savings in different regions that can be achieved through the use and integration of irrigation management tools and strategies.
In addition, the responses indicate a consensus view that more training and workforce development for irrigators, water managers, irrigation system dealers, technology service providers and others is needed. “Technology is moving faster than people’s ability to absorb it,” noted Barbara Booth, vice president for microirrigation at Rain Bird.
moving faster than people’s ability to absorb it,”
– Barbara Booth, Rain Bird “Technology is
According to the study, another need is more investment in educational programming and the establishment of curricula standards for advanced and precision irrigation
management, to close the adoption gap and improve management
outcomes.
IIC is using the industry survey findings to guide its research and program priorities for 2022 and beyond. IIC will deliver clear value to irrigation industry partners through the research it supports and ensure that these projects will support irrigators and
“The bottom line is that there’s not enough of us to do the time-consuming work of training one-on-one,” noted Jim Anshutz in his interview for the project. Anshutz is founder and owner of Fresno-based company AG/H2O, which offers producers technological solutions to measure and control rising costs of water, energy and nutrients in their operations. “Educational standards and protocols [enable] you to teach to a higher level, based on those standards,” said Anshutz.
Spring 2022 | Irrigation TODAY 21
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