Implication of geo-informatics (GIS/RS) on agricultural irrigation management: The state of the art

Abstract

The agricultural sector is the highest water consumer worldwide. Its production is the essential pillar in world’s food security. Limited water resources are the major constraint in an agricultural production system. Better application of irrigation water will result in increased water and land productivity for the planted crops. Precision irrigation is one of the promising keys to solve this dilemma. It allows applying the exact needed amount of water in its optimal place at the right time. Yet, this requires a huge information database to be accurately able to apply precision irrigation. The traditional trial-and-error technique in agricultural experiments to improve land and water productivity is time-consuming and sometimes is economically unaffordable. Thus, there is a need to develop more cost-effective and accurate tools to correctly survey world’s natural resources and its most sustainable exploitation. Geo-informatics implication in combination with suitable decision support systems plays a relevant role in water management in agricultural sector, especially when applying precision irrigation and farming techniques. This chapter aims to provide an overview about the implication of geo-informatics (with a special focus on geographic information systems and remote sensing) in irrigation water management on both local level (Egypt) and international level. Although geo-informatics applications for agricultural management have been used since the early 1980s, still there is a place for further research to maximize the benefits of its use. Public involvement is critically needed to ensure sustainability of applied water management programs using geo-informatics.