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Date: 18 December, 2025 (Thursday), 14:30 hrs (IST) // Webinar Flyer
Topic - Principles and Technology of Smart Irrigation
Smart irrigation practices represent one of the most effective responses to global water scarcity in agriculture. These systems replace traditional flood or fixed-schedule watering with precise, data-driven delivery, using soil-moisture sensors, weather forecasts, evapotranspiration models, and plant-water-status measurements to supply exactly the amount of water crops need, exactly when and where they need it.
Automated controllers, variable-rate drip lines, micro-sprinklers, or center-pivot systems adjust flow in real time, often reducing water consumption by 30–50 % while maintaining or increasing yields. Advanced versions incorporate artificial intelligence to predict future demand, optimize scheduling across entire fields or districts, and integrate fertigation for simultaneous nutrient delivery.
By minimizing runoff, deep percolation, and evaporation, these technologies not only conserve scarce freshwater resources but also reduce energy use, limit soil salinization, and lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with pumping and fertilizer leaching. As sensor costs decline and connectivity improves, smart irrigation is shifting from a luxury practice to a mainstream necessity, enabling farmers everywhere to produce more food under increasingly variable climate conditions while protecting the aquifers, rivers, and ecosystems on which future agriculture depends.
PRESENTATION
Introduction
Welcome to our webinar on Smart Irrigation Management! In today's world, where water scarcity and climate change are pressing concerns, optimizing irrigation practices is crucial for sustainable agriculture. Smart irrigation management offers a solution by leveraging advanced technologies to deliver the right amount of water at the right time, improving crop yields and reducing waste.
Internet of Things (IoT), smartphone tools, and sensors are technologies that further enable farmers to know the exact status of their field, including soil temperature, amount of water required, weather conditions etc. The use of sensors is also important for farmers to better understand their crops, reduce the environmental impacts and conserve resources. Therefore, by the usage of SMART agriculture, farmers are given the opportunity to produce yields while using fewer resources, such as fertilizers, water, and seeds.
What to Expect from This Webinar
- Overview of Smart Irrigation Systems: We will explore the fundamentals of smart irrigation, including sensors, controllers, and data analytics.
- Benefits of Smart Irrigation: Discover how smart irrigation can improve water use efficiency, increase crop productivity, and promote sustainable agriculture.
- Real-World Applications: We will discuss case studies and examples of successful smart irrigation implementations in various agricultural settings.
- Expert Insights: Our panel of experts will share their knowledge and experiences in smart irrigation management, addressing questions and challenges.
Join the Conversation
We are excited to share knowledge and experiences with you. Let us explore the world of smart irrigation management together and discover how it can transform agriculture for a more sustainable future.
Welcome Address: Dr. R.K. Gupta, Secretary General, ICID
Dr. R.K. Gupta has more than 38 years of extensive experience and specialization in Water Resources Management, Hydraulic Engineering, and River Basin Development. His expertise spans various areas like flood management, water cooperation, planning & design of water resources schemes, including Dam Safety Management. Additionally, he has significant experience in Hydropower Development, including the design and construction of tunnels and other underground works.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from Delhi College of Engineering, a Master of Technology in Applied Mechanics from IIT Delhi, and both an M.Sc. and PhD in Hydraulics from IHE, Netherlands. Dr. Gupta began his career at the Central Water Commission (CWC), a premier Indian government organization in the water sector, and eventually served as its Chairman, a position equivalent to the Secretary to the Government of India. His extensive experience and academic credentials have established him as a highly respected figure in the Indian water resources management domain.
Opening Remarks: Dr. Marco Arcieri, President, ICID
Dr. Marco Arcieri is presently the Secretary General of the Italian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (ITAL-ICID). In his professional career spanning more than 25 years, he has contributed to various studies and research in agricultural water management, land and water resources development, irrigation and drainage, flood prevention, drought monitoring, forecasting and mitigation. With his wide expertise, he has visited around 40 countries in order to implement International research projects and to attend Advanced Professional Specialization Courses. From 1996-2002 he worked as a Researcher with the Department of Crop Yield University of Basilicata, Italy as a researcher, working on aspects connected with Crop Yield and Productivity. From 2002-2006, he attended the Department of Crop Systems, Forestry and Environmental Sciences of University, Italy, wherein he completed his Ph.D.
His activity has been focused on the study of social and economic characteristics of agriculture in irrigated areas, in order to provide technical assistance to farmers on irrigation, within the framework of Research Projects co-financed by EU, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Public Works. He has been a member of ICID since 2008 and was elected as Vice President of ITAL-ICID in 2011. He is being appointed by ICID as the Permanent Observer to UN Agencies FAO and IFAD. Since April 2017, he is the representative within the Global Framework on Water Scarcity (GFWS) now WASAG - an International initiative coordinated and fostered by UN FAO to cope with water scarcity under the threat of climate change. He is also a member of the Interim Steering Committee and Focal Point for the Working Group on Sustainable Use of Water Resources of WASAG led by ICID. Dr. Arcieri is also a member of the FAO-WWC driven initiative Water Accounting in Agriculture and Head of the Regional Node for the Mediterranean Area within the International Research Program for Irrigation and Drainage (IRPID) Program of ICID.
In addition to the above, he was Vice President of ICID for the term 2018-2021, and also served as Chair and Member of some of the ICID Working Groups, to name a few, viz. Permanent Finance Committee, Chair of European Regional Working Group, Working Group on Water Food Energy Nexus (WG-WFE-N), Working Group on History of Irrigation, Drainage and Flood Control (WG-HIST), TF-GPP, TF-ILMDM etc.
SPEAKER
Prof. Dr. WU Wenyong, Ph.D., Secretary General of Chinese National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (CNCID), Professor at China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing, China and Deputy Director of Irrigation and Drainage Department.
From 2015 onward, he has been involved with the International Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) as WG Chair. Wu has focused on the fields of reclaimed water irrigation and smart irrigation. He proposed six irrigation modes for safe use of reclaimed irrigation base on risk identification, assessment and control, and developed a serial of innovative smart irrigation products with functions of water measuring and distribution, fertigation and intelligent control.
Dr. Wu is a nationally recognized scientist who has made significant contributions to the academic advancement and extension of agricultural irrigation technologies in China. This led to him being recognized in 2016 by the National Young and Middle-Aged Leading Talent for Scientific and Technological Innovation from the Ministry of Science and Technology, China, and National Special Support Plan for Domestic High-level Talent in 2018 from Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, China.
