4
C. M. Flores-Cayuela et al.
In 1950, the world population was 2536 million, reaching 7794 million today.
It took one million years to attain one billion people in the world (around 1820),
one hundred and ten years to double that figure (1930), forty for three billion (1960),
fifteen (1975) and twelve years (1987) to reach four and five billion, respectively [46].
The exponential growth experienced by the world’s population, especially since the
1950s, has prompted the development of new crop farming systems to increase food
production. The world population is expected to reach 8.6 billion by 2030 and 9.8
billion by 2050, so global water demand will increase by 20–30% by 2050 [52].
Agriculture, the main user of water resources, will have to take up the challenge
of increasing global food production by up to 60% by 2050 in a context of limited
resources [51].
Although the extension of agricultural land has increased, it is insufficient to
satisfy the growing demand for agricultural products, making it necessary to increase
crop yields [44]. The so-called “Green Revolution” (between 1960 and 1980) gave
way to a new, more industrialized agricultural production system (industrial agriculture) characterized by the specialization of farms in a single product (monoculture),
the technification and intensification of these farms and the increase in production
associated with greater capital investment and higher use of inputs: fertilizers, herbicides, machinery, irrigation infrastructure, genetic selection of seeds, development
of new high-yield varieties, etc. [46].
Climate change is another key element of pressure on water resources in terms
of quantity and quality. There is evidence that the world’s climate is changing and
the main impact of this change on humans is through water. Increased frequency
of extreme events (droughts and floods), decreased river flow, increased torrential
rainfall and rising temperatures (leading to higher crop water demand) are some of
the consequences of climate change on water resources [50]. Thus, the growing use
of inputs brought about by Green Revolution, together with the climate change, have
intensified the negative effects on the quantity and quality of water resources, such
as salinization of irrigated areas, pollution of water bodies with nitrates from the
agricultural activity and overexploitation of aquifers [13].
World agriculture must face a huge challenge: to increase food production to
meet the growing food demand without compromising the preservation of the environment, in a scenario of reduced water availability, more frequent droughts and
uncertainty associated with climate change. Irrigated agriculture must produce more
with less. This means that water productivity must be increased by improving water
use efficiency [41].
Installation of high-efficiency irrigation systems for water application (e.g. localized irrigation) and the digitalization of the agricultural sector, through the application of cutting-edge technologies, is one of the strategies proposed to make more
efficient use of water resources. In this context, the implementation of precision irrigation systems, based on efficient hydraulic installations, use of sensors and information and communication technologies (ICT’s) arises as a possible solution to increase
productivity and reduce the environmental impact of irrigated agriculture [41]. Precision irrigation enables optimal water use while maintaining or even increasing crop
production in quantity and quality. This implies precise knowledge of crop water
C. M. Flores-Cayuela et al.
In 1950, the world population was 2536 million, reaching 7794 million today.
It took one million years to attain one billion people in the world (around 1820),
one hundred and ten years to double that figure (1930), forty for three billion (1960),
fifteen (1975) and twelve years (1987) to reach four and five billion, respectively [46].
The exponential growth experienced by the world’s population, especially since the
1950s, has prompted the development of new crop farming systems to increase food
production. The world population is expected to reach 8.6 billion by 2030 and 9.8
billion by 2050, so global water demand will increase by 20–30% by 2050 [52].
Agriculture, the main user of water resources, will have to take up the challenge
of increasing global food production by up to 60% by 2050 in a context of limited
resources [51].
Although the extension of agricultural land has increased, it is insufficient to
satisfy the growing demand for agricultural products, making it necessary to increase
crop yields [44]. The so-called “Green Revolution” (between 1960 and 1980) gave
way to a new, more industrialized agricultural production system (industrial agriculture) characterized by the specialization of farms in a single product (monoculture),
the technification and intensification of these farms and the increase in production
associated with greater capital investment and higher use of inputs: fertilizers, herbicides, machinery, irrigation infrastructure, genetic selection of seeds, development
of new high-yield varieties, etc. [46].
Climate change is another key element of pressure on water resources in terms
of quantity and quality. There is evidence that the world’s climate is changing and
the main impact of this change on humans is through water. Increased frequency
of extreme events (droughts and floods), decreased river flow, increased torrential
rainfall and rising temperatures (leading to higher crop water demand) are some of
the consequences of climate change on water resources [50]. Thus, the growing use
of inputs brought about by Green Revolution, together with the climate change, have
intensified the negative effects on the quantity and quality of water resources, such
as salinization of irrigated areas, pollution of water bodies with nitrates from the
agricultural activity and overexploitation of aquifers [13].
World agriculture must face a huge challenge: to increase food production to
meet the growing food demand without compromising the preservation of the environment, in a scenario of reduced water availability, more frequent droughts and
uncertainty associated with climate change. Irrigated agriculture must produce more
with less. This means that water productivity must be increased by improving water
use efficiency [41].
Installation of high-efficiency irrigation systems for water application (e.g. localized irrigation) and the digitalization of the agricultural sector, through the application of cutting-edge technologies, is one of the strategies proposed to make more
efficient use of water resources. In this context, the implementation of precision irrigation systems, based on efficient hydraulic installations, use of sensors and information and communication technologies (ICT’s) arises as a possible solution to increase
productivity and reduce the environmental impact of irrigated agriculture [41]. Precision irrigation enables optimal water use while maintaining or even increasing crop
production in quantity and quality. This implies precise knowledge of crop water