Irrigation is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been developed by many cultures around the world. Irrigation helps to grow crops, maintain landscapes, and revegetate disturbed soils in dry areas and during times of below-average rainfall. In addition to these uses, irrigation is also employed to protect crops from frost, suppress weed growth in grain fields, and prevent soil consolidation. It is also used to cool livestock, reduce dust, dispose of sewage, and support mining operations. Drainage, which involves the removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given location, is often studied in conjunction with irrigation.
Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface. The goal is to place water directly into the root zone and minimize evaporation. Drip irrigation systems distribute water through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. Depending on how well designed, installed, maintained, and operated it is, a drip irrigation system can be more efficient than other types of irrigation systems, such as surface irrigation or sprinkler irrigation.
The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to design, fund and implement solar energy solutions to benefit those in poor rural communities without access to an electrical grid. This allows students to study at night and brings computers and Internet into schools. It makes it possible to bring in water for irrigation without having to hand-carry it long distances, allowing women to spend their time on money-earning enterprises. Access to electricity and water improves health care. SELF has completed several projects in more than 20 countries including a solar powered drip irrigation in Benin, a health care center in Haiti, telemedicine in the Amazon rainforest, online learning platform in South Africa, and a microenterprise development in Nigeria.
Devgen is a Belgium-based multinational agricultural biotechnology company. It uses biotechnology and molecular breeding technologies to develop varieties of food crops. Its technology is marketed by outlicensing or selling seeds in India and South-East Asia. Devgen also develops nematicides.
Jain Irrigation Systems, or Jains, is an Indian multinational conglomerate based in Jalgaon. It develops, manufactures, supports and sells diversified products, including drip and sprinkler irrigation systems and its components, integrated irrigation automation systems for monitoring and control, dosing systems, PVC and PE piping systems, plastic sheets, greenhouses, bio-fertilizers, solar power, solar water heating systems, solar water pumps, turnkey biogas plants, photovoltaic systems and tissue culture plants. JISL also processes dehydrated vegetables, spices, concentrated & frozen fruits or pulp. It also provides turnkey projects and agronomical support services.
Sterlite Technologies Limited is an Indian optical and digital technology company, headquartered in Pune. It is listed on Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India. It has 636 patents and is active in over 150 countries. The company is specialized in optical networking which consists of optical fiber and cables, hyper-scale network design, and deployment and network software.
Bhavarlal Hiralal Jain was an Indian entrepreneur, hounered by the Padma Award, Government of India, and the founder chairman of Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. (JISL), now the second largest micro-irrigation company in the world. He was a staunch Gandhian and philanthropist. He was the founder of Gandhi Research Foundation.
Netafim is a manufacturer of irrigation equipment owned by Orbia Group. The company produces drippers, dripperlines, sprinklers and micro-emitters. Netafim also manufactures and distributes crop management technologies, including monitoring and control systems, dosing systems, and crop management software, as well as a variety of services, including managed irrigation, agronomical advisory and operation and maintenance. As of 2012, Netafim was the global leader on the fast expanding market of drip- and micro-irrigation. In it was the overall largest provider of drip irrigation systems, with a global market share of 30%.
Na'an is a kibbutz near the city of Rehovot in Israel. Located within the Central District, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council and borders the villages of Ganei Hadar, Ramot Meir and Sitria. Founded in 1930, it is the first kibbutz established by Jews born in Eretz Israel. Kibbutz Naan is the largest kibbutz in Israel in terms of population.
Gvat is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located near Migdal HaEmek in the Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 965. The kibbutz founded the Plastro company, one of the world's largest drip irrigation systems manufacturers.
ADAMA Ltd., formerly known as Makhteshim-Agan, is a crop protection company.
Driptech Inc. is a company engaged in making of irrigation-equipment, a type of drip irrigation method. The company won awards for its innovative, low cost drip irrigation system, eliminating expensive and complex emitters used by traditional drip irrigation systems. The company is based out of Mountain View, California. In 2016 Jain Irrigation system Ltd owned Driptech India.
Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited is an Indian multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Ahmedabad. It is a producer of generic therapeutic drugs and engaged in contract clinical research and manufacturing. It has 22 manufacturing plants, 17 in India and the rest in Greece, United Kingdom and Mexico. In the financial year 2019, 69% of the company's revenue came from international markets while 31% came from India. Its market presence is in more than 100+ countries.
Goldoni S.p.A. is an Italian agricultural machinery manufacturer. The company was founded by Celestino Goldoni in Migliarina, Modena, Italy in 1926. The company designs and builds specialized tractors, equal size wheel tractors, tractors with loading platform and motorized cultivators.
Agricultural technology or agrotechnology is the use of technology in agriculture, horticulture, and aquaculture with the aim of improving yield, efficiency, and profitability. Agricultural technology can be products, services or applications derived from agriculture that improve various input and output processes.
Vertex Venture Holdings, also known as Vertex Holdings, is an investment holding company with a group of venture capital funds worldwide. A subsidiary of Temasek Holdings, the company focuses on venture capital investment opportunities in the information technology and healthcare markets through its global family of six direct investment venture funds. Vertex provides anchor funding and operational support to these funds. Each fund has its own General Partners and investment teams, focusing on different regional markets. Its six funds are based across Southeast Asia and India, United States of America, China and Israel.
CTB, Inc. is a global designer and manufacturer of systems for preserving grain, producing poultry, pigs and eggs, and processing food and a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. The company is headquartered in Milford, Indiana., and employs approximately 3,000 people worldwide.
BERMAD CS Ltd. is a developer and manufacturer of residential irrigation and water management systems for mining and construction.
Lesaka Technologies is a South-African financial technology company that is listed on the NASDAQ and Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Lesaka’s primary focus is on financial inclusion, offering financial services to previously underserved communities and merchants.
