The Aral Sea, in Central Asia, has been almost completely emptied by irrigation. Many experts fear that the expanding use of irrigation in some areas will deplete aquifers, reducing the amount of freshwater available for drinking and hygiene. To help meet the worlds demand for food, more farmland and more irrigation may be needed. Jordan uses a variety of irrigation techniques with groundwater from wells and aquifers. Even desert ecosystems like those in Jordan use irrigation. This expansion has occurred mainly in Asia, Africa, and South America. An estimated 18 percent of the worlds cropland is now irrigated. Water can also evaporate into the air when sprayed through sprinklers.ĭuring the twentieth century, the amount of irrigated land in the world doubled. Other methods can waste water by letting it absorb into the ground where there are no plants. Drip irrigation focuses the water onto the plant itself. Letting water drop onto plants through holes in pipes, known as drip irrigation, is considered one of the most efficient methods of irrigation. Crops are irrigated by several methods: flooding an entire field, channeling water between rows of plants, spraying water through large sprinklers, or letting water drop onto plants through holes in pipes. Pumps may also move water from reservoirs to fields. Canals and pipelines, just like the ancient Roman aqueducts, often rely on the force of gravity. Canals or pipelines carry the water from reservoirs to fields. Reservoirs include aquifers, basins that collect snowmelt, lakes, and basins created by dams. Modern irrigation systems use reservoirs, tanks, and wells to supply water for crops. This water was used for drinking, washing, and irrigation. Ancient Rome built structures called aqueducts to carry water from snowmelt in the Alps to cities and towns in the valleys below. As better techniques developed, societies in Egypt and China built irrigation canals, dams, dikes, and water storage facilities. The earliest form of irrigation probably involved people carrying buckets of water from wells or rivers to pour on their crops. In fact, civilization would probably not be possible without some form of irrigation. Ancient civilizations in many parts of the world practiced irrigation. By allowing farmers to grow crops on a consistent schedule, irrigation also creates more reliable food supplies. In areas that have irregular precipitation, irrigation improves crop growth and quality. Places that have sparse or seasonal rainfall could not sustain agriculture without irrigation. To irrigate is to water crops by bringing in water from pipes, canals, sprinklers, or other man-made means, rather than relying on rainfall alone.
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