Tech Corner – Technies Invent Solutions to Ag Water Woes, by Stephanie Thara
As published in Irrigation Today, Page 30 – Volume 2, Issue 1 – July 2017
He calls it an “on-farm water accountant.” As Kevin France, CEO of SWIIM System, pulls up a dashboard full of color-coded maps and water projection animations on his computer screen, he zooms in on the planning screens and explains how his agtech company can help farmers manage water use more efficiently.
These types of software packages and services enable agricultural water users to optimize water rights, monitor the crop water budget, conserve water and increase net income for agricultural operations. Water use is tracked on the farm and inputted into the system; the data is then sent to individual growers and the respective district in the aggregate for monitoring and reporting. Owners are afforded the opportunity to increase income by leasing a portion of their consumptive use water rights to other users, without compromising underlying water rights.
These types of water-saving technologies are starting to become more prevalent — and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With the continual increase in regulations surrounding water use in agriculture, farmers are looking to both tradition and tech to grow more food with less water
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