IWA 20:2017

INTERNATIONAL IWA
WORKSHOP 20
AGREEMENT
First edition
2017-03
Understanding and applying drip
irrigation for sustainable agriculture
Compréhension et application de l’irrigation goutte à goutte pour
l’agriculture durable
Reference number
©
ISO 2017
© ISO 2017, Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Global environmental changes . 2
4.1 Water scarcity . 2
4.2 Food scarcity and prices . 4
4.3 Land degradation . 4
5 Irrigation . 5
5.1 General . 5
5.2 Common irrigation methods . 5
6 Advantages of drip irrigation . 6
6.1 Crop production . 6
6.2 Water distribution in the field and irrigation efficiency . 8
6.3 Water evaporation from soil surface . 9
6.4 Dry harvest .10
6.5 Irrigation as a delivery system .10
6.6 Water infiltration, water budget and the environment.11
6.7 Soil and water salinity .12
6.8 Soil and land conservation .13
6.9 Energy saving .14
6.10 Treated wastewater irrigation . .15
6.11 Labour savings .15
7 Drip irrigation limitations .16
Annex A (informative) Role of governments: National investment as a driver of growth .17
Annex B (informative) Drip Irrigation implementation .19
Annex C (informative) Used material disposal and recycling .21
Annex D (informative) Impact of drip irrigation on sustainability .22
Annex E (informative) Subjects for which detailed standards could be prepared .26
Annex F (informative) Workshop contributors .27
Bibliography .28
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
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electrotechnical standardization.
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described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
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International Workshop Agreement IWA 20 was approved at a workshop hosted by the Swedish
Standards Institute (SIS), in association with the Standards Institution of Israel (SII), held in Stockholm,
Sweden, in August/September 2016.
iv © ISO 2017 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Dwindling vital natural resources, such as land and water, and rising world population pose a constant
threat that could develop into a future food and water crisis. Given the limited availability of water
and land resources, the amount of food grown today needs to be increased to meet the demands of
tomorrow. Reduction of available water for human consumption needs be addressed. As direct
consumption of fresh water by populations cannot be decreased, the amount of water consumed by
agricultural uses needs to be reduced and allocated for domestic or industrial use.
Drip irrigation addresses water scarcity and other environmental considerations. Its use can save large
amounts of water (over 50 % of water can be saved for certain crop types), and can increase yields.
Drip irrigation not only addresses the need to reduce water consumption and increase yield, but also
requires less labour and energy for operation, leading to lower costs to farmers due to reduced usage of
labour, fertilizers and other chemicals.
Drip irrigation relates to sustainability agriculture issues, and can be used in dry areas, in saline
soil with saline water, and in steep-sloped topographies, where other irrigation methods cannot be
practiced.
Drip irrigation is easy to handle and operate once installed. It is suited for automation and remote
operation by computer or mobile phone. The system’s simplicity makes it easy to install, operate,
maintain and repair.
Other than irrigation, the drip irrigation method is used as a delivery system for fertilizers and other
agrochemicals. Drip’s advantage as a delivery system is its ability to optimize fertilizer usage, and
distribute it exactly where needed, in the root zone, while minimizing its release to the environment.
Adoption of drip irrigation can help achieve sufficient fresh water availability for domestic use and
sufficient food quantity and quality for reasonable pricing, while increasing farmers’ income with yield
increment and cost reduction, and ensuring food security.
The purpose of this document is to review the benefits of the drip irrigation method in relation to other
practiced irrigation methods, and to outline a future standardization roadmap.
International Workshop Agreement IWA 20:2017(E)
Understanding and applying drip irrigation for sustainable
agriculture
1 Scope
This document reviews drip irrigation in comparison to major irrigation methods available and
practiced today by farmers worldwide. This document reviews the benefits of drip irrigation, such
as increased yield, reduced water consumption, reduced energy consumption, lower environmental
impact, reduced contamination of groundwater and surface water, reduced greenhouse gas emissions
and reduced labour.
This document also reviews some of the limitations of drip irrigation.
This document does not provide a technical specification for the implementation of drip irrigation.
The qualities of drip irrigation referred to in this document apply to systems manufactured in
accordance with ISO 9261 or equivalent standard.
This document is intended to be used by agricultural policymakers, infrastructure providers, water
supply regulatory bodies and authorities, and food chain and farmer cooperatives interested in
developing agricultural policies to preserve natural resources and funds. This document is also intended
to be used by farmers and smallholders interested in applying an economic agricultural method.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
application efficiency
ratio between the amount of water consumed by the plant and the amount of water applied in the field
Note 1 to entry: Application efficiency units are normally presented as the percentage of water consumed by the
plant in relation to the amount of water applied.
3.2
chemigation
injection of agrochemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides or other growth-enhancement products, to
the irrigation system, together with irrigated water
3.3
drip irrigation
irrigation method whereby drippers are installed along a polyethylene (PE) pipe of between 10 cm and
1 m, from which water is released at a given capacity (e.g. 1 l/h)
3.4
evaporation
type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs at its surface and goes into a gaseous phase that is not
saturated with the evaporating substance
3.5
evapotranspiration
combination of the water transpirated through the plant and the water evaporated through the soil
surface
3.6
fertigation
injection of soluble fertilizers into the irrigation system together with water
3.7
irrigation efficiency
amount of productivity (yield) in relation to the amount of water applied
Note 1 to entry: Irrigation efficiency units are normally presented as the weight of yield per volume of water
applied.
3.8
sprinkler irrigation
method of applying ir
...