Mike hemman netafim global irrigation interview

Automation adoption is accelerating as labor availability and cost pressures increase. Growers are adopting automated irrigation, remote monitoring, and decision-support tools to scale operations without increasing labor or complexity.

Irrigation is also evolving into integrated water and nutrient management. Drip irrigation enables continuous fertigation, replacing inefficient large fertilizer applications with precise, timed nutrient delivery aligned to crop demand.

Regulation is further accelerating adoption. Water scarcity, nutrient runoff limits, and carbon goals are now immediate constraints, making precision irrigation a necessity rather than an option.

Adoption is strongest in water-stressed regions such as the Mediterranean, the U.S. West, and increasingly India through subsidy-driven programs.

Growers did not abandon automation during margin pressure. Instead, investments were reframed as risk-management tools, prioritizing immediate payback and operational stability.

Capital confidence, training gaps, dealer capability, service quality, and perceived system complexity remain the primary constraints to faster adoption.

Public–private partnerships and incentive stacking models have proven most effective, reducing capital barriers and accelerating adoption.

Blended finance, microfinance, supplier credit, and partnerships with governments and NGOs are enabling scale in developing regions.

Cost-sharing investments in efficient irrigation deliver far greater long-term value than fallowing programs by permanently reducing water demand while preserving productivity.

Subsurface drip irrigation in alfalfa and continuous fertigation in almonds demonstrate step-change improvements in water efficiency, yield consistency, and sustainability.

The future of irrigation lies in data-driven precision — delivering water and nutrients at the right time through integrated, automated systems that growers can trust.