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Argentina can triple area under irrigation
Nov. 1, 2016
The 5th International Meeting on Irrigation, organized by National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), was held in Manfredi in Cordoba province, Argentina, recently.
Global experts in the latest technology on irrigation, namely Dr. Daran Rudnick of the University of Nebraska Lincoln (US), Dr. Alfonso Calera at the University of Castilla La Mancha and almost 40 companies were invited to share different themes on irrigation such as spraying, underground drip irrigation, guns, suppliers of valves, discontinuous flows and all related services such as pipes, pumps, electronics and fertilizers.
In 1960, the world had 0.45 hectares of farm to feed each of the 2,500 million people. Today, the area is reduced by half, and there is only 0.24 hectares per person for more than 7,000 million people. In this context, efficient irrigation plays a strategic role.
According to Mr. Aquiles Salinas, expert technician from INTA Manfredi, Argentina has currently irrigated 5% of planted area, and it has the potential to add 2 million hectares more for production and thus exceed six million by 2030. He said "we are able to triple the irrigated area, which will allow the country to face the demand for food and tackle climate change. We must also be competitive, and supplementary irrigation is a good tool to achieve the maximum yields.”
He concluded that "Argentina has a leading role in future food production and we need to use it."
"To achieve this goal, we will require heavy investment in irrigation technologies associated with numerous benefits such as more efficient water use, expansion of productive areas and increased productivity," he said. However, to achieve the estimated potential, certain aspects related to training, transfer of available information, financial support and land use planning should be taken into account.
Salinas explained that "80% of irrigation in the country is gravitational," and the use of water comes from public investments made by the state. Hence, it does not require a large outlay for producers, and irrigation canon has no economic impact in relation to the perceived benefits.
According to UNESCO figures, 17% of the world's irrigated area produces 50% of food. "In a world with limited surface to produce, irrigation technologies play a vital role in increasing the productivity and performance," he said.
FAO said the world's regions with the greatest potential to extend their areas and yields were Asia, Africa and Latin America. According to FAO, Argentina has a favorable environment, in relation to natural resources, to increase the area under irrigation and use it as an efficient tool.
Salinas explained that developing countries have 70% of potential to increase their irrigable area, while developed countries are no more likely to expand the irrigated area.
In Argentina, 65% of the more than 2 million hectares of irrigated land is supplied with surface water, and groundwater is used for the rest. According to a report, crops that make maximum use of the irrigation systems are fruits with 24%, followed by rice with 13% and forages with 12%.
Source: AgroNews
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