Innovation in water management: the future of sustainable agriculture

In a world where water scarcity is increasingly pressing, a key question arises: how can we ensure efficient water use without compromising sustainability? As highlighted by Rut Bosque in the introduction to the webinar ” Innovation in Water Management: The Future of Agriculture with Santi Singla“, the Bankinter Innovation Foundation’s report, Water, our vital resource in check, identifies key strategies to address this challenge, including:

1. Adopting a circular water economy: with a focus on reuse and efficiency to reduce waste.
2. Implementation of technologies adapted to the local context: solutions designed to maximize impact according to the specific needs of each region.
3. Promotion of sustainable practices in sectors with high water demand: especially in agriculture, the textile industry and data centres, which are large consumers of water.
4. Integration of renewable energy into key processes: such as desalination and water reuse, to reduce dependence on non-renewable sources.
5. Promotion of education and social awareness: initiatives that strengthen the responsible use of water at all levels of society.
6. Strengthening effective water governance: through clear, robust and transparent regulations that ensure efficient and equitable management.

These pillars offer a framework for dealing with the effects of climate change and population growth, which intensify pressure on this vital resource.

Agriculture, the sector responsible for approximately 70% of the world’s freshwater consumption, has a key role to play in this transition. In this context, technological innovations and sustainable practices stand out as indispensable tools to achieve a balance between productivity and sustainability. Santi Singla, Director of Business Development at Regaber, agronomist and expert in water solutions, guides us through the innovations that are transforming this essential sector.

If you want to watch the webinar, you can do so here:

Innovation in Water Management: The Future of Agriculture with Santi Singla

Below, we summarize the ideas discussed in the webinar, where Santi Singla offers us his vision on how technological innovations are transforming water management in agriculture to achieve a more efficient and sustainable use.

Agriculture and its relationship with water

Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater globally, using approximately 70% of the total available. This data, often criticized as a sign of inefficiency, needs to be contextualized. As Santi Singla explains, this high percentage is directly related to food production, which represents 70% of the water footprint of our daily activity. For example, producing a kilo of bread requires 1,600 liters of water, while a kilo of beef can demand up to 7,000 liters. Thus, water consumption in agriculture is intrinsically linked to the need to feed a growing population.

Heavy use does not mean inefficiency: Singla points out that there is not always a direct relationship between intensive use of water in agriculture and inefficiency. Countries such as Israel, a world leader in agricultural water management, reuse a large part of their water and achieve high yields with advanced techniques such as drip irrigation. Despite this, about 70% of its water consumption is still used for agriculture. This example shows that a high percentage of agricultural use does not imply poor management, but a need derived from food security and production efficiency.

In contrast, countries with low agricultural activity, such as England, allocate only 5% of their water to agriculture, but this figure responds to their limited agricultural production. In the case of Spain, the world’s fourth largest exporter of agricultural products, 80% of fresh water is used in agriculture, reflecting the importance of the sector in the national economy.

Agricultural production and the water challenge: The growing demand for food, driven by population growth, poses additional challenges for water use in agriculture. According to FAO, it will be necessary to double agricultural production by 2050. This not only requires increasing efficiency in the use of water, but also preserving the fertility of the land and maintaining sustainable production.

Currently, only 20% of the world’s cultivated land is irrigated, but it generates 40% of global agricultural production, being almost three times more productive than rainfed land. This data underlines the importance of water in improving agricultural productivity, which makes its efficient use essential.

Water losses in the agricultural cycle: another aspect highlighted by Singla is the significant loss of water in the agricultural cycle. More than 33% of the water withdrawn is lost due to problems in the transport and application phases. These losses occur at different stages, from extraction in dams and rivers to distribution through open channels, and represent an opportunity to improve the efficiency of the system through advanced technologies.

In countries such as Spain, the implementation of drip irrigation has proven to be an effective solution. This system makes it possible to reduce water consumption and increase production, as demonstrated by practical cases in tomato crops in Italy or corn in Mexico. In addition, these technologies contribute to improving the quality of the product and minimising the environmental impact by avoiding the contamination of riverbeds and aquifers.

External factors and their impact on agriculture: Climate change, droughts, and changes in eating habits are also shaping water use in agriculture. Although Europe and the United States are seeing a reduction in meat consumption, which indirectly decreases the pressure on water resources, in regions such as Asia and Africa the consumption of products with a high water impact is increasing. This phenomenon highlights the need for more sustainable approaches to ensure food security without compromising natural resources.

Challenges and solutions

Water management in agriculture faces structural and technological challenges that require specific solutions for each stage of the water cycle. Going into detail, some of the main problems and proposals raised by Santi Singla during the webinar are highlighted below:

Water losses in transport and distribution: one of the biggest sources of water inefficiency comes from losses during transport, especially in open canals, which can waste up to 30% of water. These losses are mainly due to spills, evaporation and lack of synchronization in flow management. Among the proposed solutions are:

• Implementation of automated and synchronized gates along the channels to regulate the flow of water more precisely.
• Use of the canal itself as a temporary deposit to avoid unnecessary transport from reservoirs to farmers’ intakes.
• Improvements in the watertightness and modernisation of transport infrastructures to achieve efficiencies of up to 90%.

Obsolescence in irrigation systems: many farms still use less efficient irrigation methods, such as flooding, which generate considerable losses and do not optimize water consumption in relation to production. The proposed solutions are:

• Increase the use of drip irrigation systems, which in Spain have already proven to be highly effective, with 50% adoption in irrigated land.
• Introduction of advanced drippers designed to operate at low pressure and with small flow rates, allowing for an optimal balance of water, oxygen and nutrients in the soil.

Energy inefficiency: pumping water in high-pressure systems involves significant energy consumption, which increases costs and environmental impact. How to solve it? Through:

• Use of low-pressure systems, such as low-energy sprinkler or gravity irrigation, to reduce energy consumption.
• Incorporation of technologies that make it possible to take advantage of unevenness in the terrain, reducing the need for intensive pumping.

Lack of digitalization and reliable data: approximately 50% of farms in Spain do not even have water meters, which limits the ability to monitor and optimize consumption. What can be done?

• Progressively install meters on farms as an initial step towards more efficient management.
• Use digital platforms such as VEGGA, which integrate data from soil sensors, weather and agroclimatic stations to automate and optimize irrigation in real time.

Clogging and maintenance of irrigation systems: Irrigation systems, such as drippers or sprinklers, often have clogging issues due to the accumulation of particles or roots, which can significantly decrease their yield. How to solve it?

• Developing drippers with self-cleaning mechanisms and long filtration areas to avoid clogs and ensure durability.
• Improving filtration systems, with self-cleaning equipment that reduces water losses during maintenance.

Constraints for smallholder farmers: For smallholder farmers, the initial cost of implementing advanced technologies can be a significant hurdle due to the high cost. Some of the proposed solutions are:

• Business models such as the comprehensive transformation of farms through long-term contracts, where initiatives such as Terra Nostra finance and implement the necessary improvements. This model includes the transformation of farms to higher value-added crops (e.g. switching from maize to almond trees with precision irrigation) through long-term leasing and financing schemes.
• More accessible technologies, such as simple irrigation controllers with basic humidity sensors, which allow more efficient management without large investments.

These challenges underscore the importance of an orderly transition to water sustainability, with solutions that combine advanced technology, infrastructure modernization and an approach tailored to the needs of each type of farm.

Technological innovations in water management

The modernization of water management in agriculture involves, as we have just seen, the implementation of technological solutions that optimize the use of water and increase crop productivity. Santi Singla details several tools and practices that are already transforming the sector. These innovations range from advanced irrigation systems to digital platforms that enable more precise and sustainable management:

1. Drip irrigation and low-pressure sprinkler: drip irrigation is one of the most efficient technologies for agriculture, especially in regions such as Spain, where it is already used on almost half of irrigated land. This method, which distributes water directly to the root zone of the plants, allows water consumption to be reduced by up to 30% and agricultural production to be increased.

On the other hand, low-pressure sprinkler is a solution for crops where drip irrigation is not viable, such as cereal fields. This system minimises energy consumption, reducing operating costs and environmental impact.

2. Moisture sensors and probes: the use of sensors is key to monitoring the state of the soil and plants in real time. Humidity probes allow you to determine precisely when and how much to water, avoiding both excess and deficit of water. For example, advanced sensors installed at different depths of the soil measure water saturation, identifying whether the crop is at optimal levels, water stress or overhydration.

In addition, these devices generate data that can be integrated with digital platforms to schedule irrigation automatically, ensuring an efficient and localized application.

3. Advanced filtration and emitter control: To ensure that irrigation systems are functioning properly, filtration technologies have been developed that remove particles that could clog water emitters. These self-cleaning, water-efficient filters are essential to maintaining the system’s long-term efficiency.

Irrigation emitters, such as drippers and sprinklers, have also evolved to adapt to uneven terrain. Self-compensating systems ensure that each plant receives the same amount of water, regardless of pressure, eliminating problems such as inconsistency in irrigation.

4. Digitalisation and management platforms: digitalisation is one of the biggest revolutions in agricultural water management. Platforms such as VEGGA integrate soil sensors, weather stations and irrigation data into a single system that allows each plot to be monitored and controlled from a connected device.

These tools, in addition to optimizing irrigation, allow for scheduling fertilization, predicting pests and diseases, and performing advanced analyses of agricultural yield. In addition, its design facilitates adoption by farmers of all sizes, adapting to the specific needs of each farm.

5. Optimization of water transport: a critical area in water management is transport infrastructure, such as open canals, where large amounts of water are lost. Technologies to modernize these networks include automated gate systems that synchronize the flow of water, reducing losses and improving efficiency.

In some cases, these improvements have managed to increase transport efficiency from 60% to 90%, making a significant difference in the amount of water available for irrigation.

6. Use of satellite images and drones: remote sensing technology, through satellite images, makes it possible to identify problems such as lack of uniformity or water stress in large areas of crops. These tools generate indices such as plant vigor, which help farmers make informed decisions.

For high-value crops, such as pistachios or kiwis, drones are being used that offer even greater accuracy, allowing plant-by-plant monitoring and detecting specific anomalies. They are also used to characterize the soil before transforming farms, identifying areas with different properties, such as higher sand or silt content, which helps to plan more specific irrigation strategies.

The future of water management in agriculture

Agricultural sustainability requires the mass adoption of these technologies. Digitalization will play a key role, with the expansion of sensors and smart systems that allow for more detailed control of water use. In addition, the development of public policies that support research and facilitate access to finance will be crucial to accelerate this transition.

Water is a vital resource whose sustainable use must be a global priority. Thanks to technological innovations and more responsible approaches, agriculture has the opportunity to lead this change. Initiatives such as those of Santi Singla and Regaber show that a more sustainable future is possible with the joint effort of farmers, governments and technology companies. At the Bankinter Innovation Foundation, we will continue to promote debate and solutions to ensure efficient use of water for the benefit of all.

The Foundation’s next webinar, on November 28 at 4:00 p.m., will continue to explore the topic of water, focusing on how activities such as agriculture and urbanization have affected aquatic ecosystems, highlighting the consequences of pollution and climate change: The Rivers and Oceans Challenge: Human Impact on Water. The session will feature the participation of Carlos Duarte, Professor of Red Sea Ecology at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).