Farming may be one of history’s oldest professions, but it is not immune to a changing world. Challenged by unprecedented weather patterns, droughts and water scarcity, and a growing global population, the next generation of farmers is being asked to look at agriculture differently to solve the problems of tomorrow and advance industry innovation.
Several years ago, the Irrigation Association created a workforce development program focused on introducing the irrigation industry to students interested in studying irrigation or water management. Known as the E3 program, the platform provides students and faculty members with exposure, experience and education around the irrigation industry in hopes of engaging a new generation of irrigators.
We spoke with three E3 recipients about the importance of innovative irrigation and water management practices and how they aspire to make a difference.
A native of California and recent graduate of California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), Idalia Navarro witnessed from a young age the challenges farmers face when access to water is limited. One of her earliest agriculture memories is driving down the Grapevine into the state’s Central Valley in the spring, seeing miles and miles of different crops blooming with varying flower colors.
Though beautiful and inspiring, this is an area of California that continues to face drought and water scarcity. In 2012, Mendota, California, was devastated by a lack of water for its crops — something that left behind both a lasting impression on Navarro and significant economic hardship for the community.
“The once-thriving Cantaloupe Capital was left with almost 50% of its population lining up to receive food from food banks to save a fish ecosystem in the Delta,” recalls Navarro.
“It’s not just about adopting new tools; it’s about building resilient food systems and protecting our environment for the long term.”
— Precious Amori, graduate student, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
She adds that these real-life experiences are what inspired her to find new ways to conserve water. “Living in a region where agriculture is a substantial part of the economy, I’ve seen first-hand how critical efficient water use is for crop yields and sustaining communities and ecosystems,” she says. “For these reasons, I am more passionate about precision irrigation to deliver the right amount of water based on a crop’s needs.”
Precious Amori, a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in biological systems engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was also inspired by her upbringing in a rainfed subsistent farming community often at the mercy of rainfall.
“I witnessed how farmers, including my own family, relied on streams and basic pump-and-hose systems to irrigate high-value vegetable crops, often leading to excessive runoff and ponding due to the lack of precise control,” says Amori.
These experiences, she says, sparked a curiosity about how the process could be improved. “Today, I’m most passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technologies, such as variable rate systems, automation, remote sensing, IoT sensors and machine learning, to make irrigation smarter, more responsive and ultimately more sustainable,” she adds.
Water scarcity is not exclusive to the Golden State, having far-reaching impacts on agriculture and food production around the world. Changes in climate patterns and increasing pressure to feed a growing population with fewer freshwater resources continue to push the need for innovative approaches to water management and irrigation.
“With the sector already using about 70% of the world’s freshwater, improving how we manage and apply water is critical,” says Amori. “Innovation in this space, whether through advanced analytics, precision scheduling, site-specific management, data-driven decision support systems or real-time sensor integration, can help farmers make informed decisions, reduce waste and enhance productivity. It’s not just about adopting new tools; it’s about building resilient food systems and protecting our environment for the long term.”
Amori’s research is focused on creating data-driven practices that support smart agriculture and help farmers become more efficient. Her goal is to create a decision support system that provides site-specific, near-real-time irrigation scheduling recommendations that could be delivered to existing smartphone and web-based applications by irrigation systems manufacturers. Powered by machine learning, the data-driven precision irrigation would provide insights based on data from various sources, such as weather stations, soil moisture sensors, satellite imagery, drones and canopy reflectance.
She is also investigating how remote sensing data can optimize in-season nitrogen application through fertigation, particularly in corn systems. The broader goal is to improve resource use efficiency, enhance yield and reduce environmental impacts.
According to Navarro, these types of innovations are critical in preserving what has become one of our more limited and essential resources. “As climate change leads to water variability, producing extreme weather patterns such as recurring droughts and floods, farmers must implement new irrigation methods to prepare for these situations,” she says.
Navarro points to innovative approaches such as precision irrigation or data-driven systems that can help us reduce water waste and lower energy costs. “These approaches also support environmental sustainability by reducing groundwater extractions during drought years and minimizing pesticide/fertilizer runoff from agricultural fields that can pollute ecosystems,” she adds.
While technological innovation is critical for moving the agriculture forward, Hannah Chamberlin, a recent graduate of Fresno State, stresses the importance of crop management in preserving limited resources.
“A lot of irrigation equipment is extremely well designed and fit for a world of precision agriculture,” she says. “However, there is only so much water saving one can do with a plastic emitter.”
Because many places in the U.S. and around the world are facing water restrictions that limit their access to and use of fresh water for irrigation, Chamberlin expects cultural practices will have to shift to accommodate these restrictions.
“Many farmers, especially in California, are fallowing portions of their land to redirect those water rights to their crop,” she explains. “This limits profits and what crops can be grown, so being innovative in crop management will hopefully alleviate these issues and keep California and the world growing diverse and plentiful crops.”
“As climate change leads to water variability … farmers must implement new irrigation methods to prepare for these situations.”
— Idalia Navarro, recent graduate, California State University, Fresno
Though these three irrigators have unique philosophies when it comes to water preservation, what they do have in common is their focus on establishing new ways to integrate cutting-edge irrigation technologies, embrace sustainable farming methods and adapt to modern challenges like labor shortages, rising costs and climate change.
Amori aims to join a global effort to ensure food and water scarcity through data-driven agricultural practices, with a goal of driving innovation at the intersection of advanced technologies, irrigation and nitrogen management, and sustainable agriculture. “I want to develop transformative irrigation solutions and contribute to science-based policies that promote smarter, more efficient water use in agriculture,” she says.
These solutions include the development and refinement of precision irrigation techniques that integrate artificial intelligence, remote sensing, IoT sensors, variable rate systems and automation to optimize farm operations, increase productivity, and conserve water resources.
“I’m particularly interested in federated learning — a machine-learning approach that enables decentralized model training while preserving data privacy and security,” she adds. “This can support the development of regionally tailored irrigation recommendations without the need for centralized data sharing, making precision irrigation more scalable, secure and adaptable to diverse farming systems.”
Navarro, who is currently writing her thesis on measuring evapotranspiration using a weighing lysimeter and developing crop coefficients for sorghum grown in the Central Valley under subsurface drip irrigation, hopes to help farmers design irrigation schedules for better water management. Her long-term goal is to help farmers design and implement more efficient water-saving systems.
“My research aims to contribute to scientific understanding and practical solutions that farmers, policymakers and communities can implement,” says Navarro. “California has witnessed extreme weather variability in recent years, with prolonged droughts followed by floods. To address these real-world water challenges, I plan to lead research projects that will shape the future of sustainable irrigated agriculture.”
Chamberlin has a more holistic approach to water management that focuses less on the equipment. Her passion lies in research across the spectrum of water management and irrigation practices. While she’s unsure exactly what field she will land in, she recognizes the importance of irrigation across agriculture. “Water is a primary limiting factor of plant growth, and knowing how to manage it is important in any field of agriculture,” she says.
“Although water-wise crops can be brought into existence through breeding, water doesn’t wait, and many farmers need solutions now.”
— Hannah Chamberlin, recent graduate, California State University, Fresno
After completing an undergraduate research project through the Fresno State Jordan College Honors Program, she was inspired to pursue a master’s degree in plant science next fall. Her area of focus will be on the use of biostimulants to reduce plant stress and maintain yield in deficit-irrigated vegetable crops.
“Management strategies will become key players in the future of water use,” she says. “My hope is that I can provide knowledge on more immediate ways to reduce water consumption in crops. Although water-wise crops can be brought into existence through breeding, water doesn’t wait, and many farmers need solutions now.”
Chamberlin hopes that her research can provide farmers with new ways to adapt to reduced water allocations in a more immediate time frame. “The world of biologicals, especially, is considered as snake oil, and I’d like to explore what kinds of products actually work and how they may contribute to a decrease in water consumption,” she says. “Cultural management will be a huge portion of agricultural advancement, and my current, and hopefully future, studies will focus on changing the farm instead of the equipment.”
Amy Wunderlin is an experienced freelance writer. She can be reached at amywunderlin@gmail.com.
