The Israeli Case Study of Agricultural Use of Reclaimed Water with Drip Irrigation

Israel is located in an arid and semi arid region, with an average annual rainfall of 200 to 400 mm. Israeli agriculture has always relied heavily on advanced irrigation technology. Between 1960 and 2007 the population of Israel has tripled, leading to further agricultural intensification and increasing water demand. Israel has met its increasing water demand by moving to the use of recovered wastewater and other marginal water sources. Today, more than 75 percent of Israel's effluent is reused, and more than 50 percent of the water used for agriculture is reclaimed wastewater. Israel will continue to be able to balance intensive agriculture against increasing water demand only through the use of innovative agricultural technologies and the pursuit of increased water-use efficiency. We present the Israeli case study of reclaimed water used in combination with drip irrigation to illustrate the efficiency increasing possibilities of just such a combination, not only for Israel but, for a planet faced by an imminent water crisis.