Is Irrigation becoming extinct ?
In Australia we have the same types of issues but are now experiencing some "cycling" in policy/actions from our governments and water providers. This is due to the fact that we had a significant about 10 year crippling drought followed by the last 2 years of better conditions and some record single rainfall events to fill our catchments. Droughts to flooding rains as our older farmers remember.
The problem is these fluctuations have had a big effect on our irrigation markets. Turn off the faucet and then told to turn it on again. Coupled with these short term climate effects has been that our governments and leaders have become totally energy and pollution (carbon) obsessed. This primarily shifts "green funding" away from needed water reforms and perhaps put us (irrigation industry) into a bit more of a holding pattern while we wait for the the next drought !. Who says we are not a short sighted species!
Savings can be made in irrigation efficiency, management, infrastructure, etc. however this non tangible Environmental/Social benefit is only up taken by innovators who attract government funding and not the bulk of the market (it does not fit into their business model/thinking). It simply does not make business accounting sense for many.
The government and utilities economic model is to raise the price of water, however what this does is reduce the size of your market. The people who can afford the water don't care about saving it, and the ones that cant turn off the faucet. There are some in between but they are cautious.
In the agriculture sense it corporatizes the larger growers and extincts the smaller operators. We have just gone through such a cycle and it is causing big market disruption to the irrigation industry. This coupled with a global tightening of "credit/debt" and its a recipe for lean times ahead.
I am not sure that irrigation (at least in its current form) may be headed for extinction!!!, and yes I am a glass half full person...
This is the right environment however for innovation and change for our irrigation industry..
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