Precision Irrigation: A Cascade of Benefits for Soil Health, Resources, and Productivity

INTRODUCTION

AQUA4D® irrigation technology helps alleviate some of the biggest issues the planet faces: water stress, soil degradation, and food security. It’s all thanks to innovative water treatment which subtly alters irrigation water and the minerals within.

Soil salinity often comes hand in-hand with drought conditions, and until now the most common solution has been water-intensive flushing – wasting precious resources where most needed. AQUA4D® is the only technology which manages salinity while using less water in the process, and without consumables associated with technologies like reverse osmosis.

Since 2004, growers in 45 countries have benefited, increasing their yields and output quality while minimizing resource input and solving long-standing salinity issues.

A CASCADE OF BENEFITS

Minerals present in the water are more efficiently dissolved and hydrated by AQUA4D® treatment. On the one hand, this means salts are leached below the root zone and no longer crystallize. On the other hand, nutrients can be more efficiently absorbed – leading to crucial economizing of fertilizer use. Soil health is improved and plants can flourish to their full potential, with less chemicals going into the ground. Thanks to the efficient hydration of salts, continued irrigation with saline water is even possible, without requiring energy-intensive desalination or flushing. Lastly, as the technology reduces the size of water clusters while increasing soil porosity, soils stay moist for longer and irrigation frequency can be reduced by 25% or more.

PROVEN FIELD RESULTS

Over 20 years, this technology has been verified by dozens of scientific studies globally. Landmark research in the Jordan Valley observed continued irrigation of crops with saline water yet 37% higher yields, while a California State University study verified this in a lab setting, showing that AQUA4D® leached 148% more salt compared with Control. A study at INRAE (France) proved changes in soil micro- and macrostructure, explaining both the efficient lixiviation and soil moisture effects observed by many growers. Most recently, research by INACAP (Chile) has proven significant reductions in chlorine and boron, reducing salinity conditions while saving ~30% water use (you can find a full list of scientific studies here)

These results have been replicated in thousands of real-world projects. For example, after suffering years of salinity issues Brazil’s largest melon producer was able to return to two cycles on the same land while also increasing export quality and production by 17%. Additionally, an avocado grower in Peru conducted a side-by-side study of AQUA4D and reverse osmosis (RO). AQUA4D achieved the same salt leaching result while consuming 3000x less electricity, and without taking out or adding anything to the water. This means not only reduced electricity use but also more efficient water use with no consumables used and no brine or waste water.

If we are to save our soils, conserve water, and feed a growing population, we need a new approach. AQUA4D® is just such a paradigm-shifting technology which can play an important part in a new sustainable agriculture.

HIGH-LEVEL SUPPORT

This technology is supported by the Swiss Confederation, the Swiss Climate Foundation, and Solar Impulse Foundation among others, as well as strong regional support in places like California, where funding for the technology is now available through the CDFA. AQUA4D® has also received grants as part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, to expand the technology at scale for pivot irrigation, with the exponential resource savings and land regeneration this would entail.

SUMMARY

Irrigation with AQUA4D® is part of a new regenerative approach to agriculture, ensuring greater output with reduced inputs while allowing continued production on degraded lands. With the FAO estimating that soil salinization takes up to 1.5 million ha of farmland per year out of production, upscaled use of this technology would be a sustainable solution to the restoration of agricultural lands and wider food security.