So, what is irrigation? The majority of us have some type of understanding of the term, but for those whom may not have the full understanding (and those whom do), I wanted to write a summary on the subject.
The definition of irrigation is: the artificial distribution of water for the purpose of providing water to crops, lawns and landscapes.
The main uses of irrigation in our world today is agricultural and landscape purposes. Now most of us when we think about “irrigation“, think of our automatic lawn sprinklers, but irrigation has a long history starting way back before we began utilizing it to maintain beautiful lawns.
Did you know that thousands of years ago Egyptians used irrigation to water their crops? By digging trenches, they channeled the Nile River to keep their crops watered during times of drought. This helped in maintaining an established society with a dependable food supply.
Around 4000 BC is the oldest known usage of irrigation in Peru. Ancient societies show evidence of using irrigation as has been found by Archeologists.
In our modern world today, it is most commonly used to provide water to our crops, lawns and landscapes with a minimal amount of labor. Lawn Sprinklers of today utilize automatic controllers and electric valves to turn water to certain zones at pre-programmed times as needed.
Although irrigation has progressed, as has just about everything, the basic idea is the same as it has always been… to manage the distribution of water to crops and to keep our lawns green and beautiful.
