Drip Irrigation: Growing More With Less

I decided to choose the topic of agriculture and irrigation systems in Israel because the most important thing you need to start a country is food. If you don't have a way to get food and sustain your food production your country will have a hard time lasting. I was interested in Israel's agriculture specifically because I knew it was a dry land and hard to plant on so I was curious to see how they were able to overcome this challenge.

One way Israel deals with this problem is with their innovative drip irrigation systems. Drip irrigation is a series of pipes and tubes that flow water, with plastic emitters that drip out water directly to the plant. The use of a plastic emitter was invented in Israel by Simcha Blass who partnered with Kibbutz Harzerim to create the company Netafim and created the first efficient drip irrigation method in 1959. This invention was so important to the drip irrigation system because instead of the water coming out through tiny holes that could easily get clogged, it was released by longer and wider passageways that led to the plastic emitters. Drip irrigation is beneficial because it reduces the amount of fertilizer and water used, it minimizes weed growth and soil erosion and the type of soil is less important to how well the plant grows. One disadvantage is that it costs more money to first install it and if it isn't run properly it could waste your time, money and water. Another disadvantage is that the sun can ruin the pipes used and if the water isn't filtered right it can clog the pipes. 

Netafim is a major irrigation company, who's headquarters are in Tel Aviv, Israel who offers their services to over 110 countries and yet they still manage to focus on what matters most which is sustainability. Netafim wants to help as many towns and countries as they can whether its big or small but in order to do that they make sure they focus on three key areas, environmental sustainability, social responsibility and corporate governance. Netafim knows that water is the world's most important product, but it's also the world's most rapidly depleting source. Therefore Netafim joined the CEO Water Mandate of the UN which is a unique public-private initiative designed to help businesses understand the affects their practices have on water sustainability. Netafim also shares all their information and knowledge to the public by releasing reports on how well they are sustaining the environment. Netafim also established the Netafirm Academy which helps clients, current and potential, further their knowledge of the environment and Netafim's products and stop the knowledge gap.