Irrigation Changing Culture Rainmakers Gallery

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Irrigation Changing Culture

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Around 4000 B.C. a group wildlife for their meat supply used in many parts of the world. of farmers migrated to the and flood plains where they Finally, there is the vast Tigris and Euphrates river would sow crops in the spring. technology of center pivot valley in search for more land As weather patterns changed irrigation which allows farmers and food for a growing from year to year the farmers access to surface and ground population. In this Valley, started to realize rainfall was water with less labor intensive which is referred to as the not a dependable source of work. With these evolving Fertile Crescent, they water for their crops. To make irrigation technologies came an discovered an abundance of sure they had a stabilized increase in human population water supply the which required a supply and Written for "Rainmakers: A farmers started demand market for food Photographic Story of Center Pivots" digging ditches production and a change in from the river cultural behavior. beds. By doing this labor In the United States irrigation intensive task these farmers has changed culture by started the concept of irrigation increasing land values, which changed their culture. converting more dry land into By increasing the ability to irrigated land to help increase expand unusable land into food production, and shaping crop land with the use of ditch farmers into conservationists and irrigation, these farmers started water stewards. to build a surplus of food for Farmers in the US started the growing population. As a with furrow irrigation which result, less people were needed required a lot of labor and time to farm and there was a shift in until the development of center society which allowed people pivot technology. In the 1950s a to explore other areas of a man by the name of Frank culture such as craft working Zybach had a patent awarded to and architecture. him for the invention of “the As times change there has center pivot.” From that point been an evolution of irrigation on center pivot technology was techniques and technology. As introduced as a labor and time stated above, in the beginning saving tool and as extra there were the ditches, and insurance to help provide stable then came the formation of crop production in dry years. dams to regulate flood plains Center pivots created a cultural which gave the ability to change that allowed farmers to advance the technique of convert more pasture and dry furrow irrigation that is still land into irrigated land. With 1

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the way they manage their economy and provided many lands with different crop cultures with new rotations and changing the opportunities to advance into pivots by using efficient world markets and be self sprinkler systems to distribute sufficient. On the other hand, the water evenly. By using introduction of center pivot center pivot irrigation farmers technology has provided a in the United States have different use among cultures. changed their behavior and For instance, in Central farming practices to best suite America center pivots were the lands needs as well as the introduced to help stabilize the world’s environmental needs. banana market. With a lacking In other parts of the world civil authority there seems to be irrigation technology has left vandalism on center pivots, many cultures with the ability where people are melting parts to become less dependent on of pivots to make pots, pans, other cultures. In order to and using the copper in meet demands for increased electrical wiring for bullets. food supply some countries Center pivots have helped the were in need of a conservation banana production but have technology that would help also provided an increase in ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○ ○ meet both agricultural and potential vandalism for this change came an increase in fresh drinking water demands. countries that are not land values, which in some cases Therefore, center pivots were advanced in authority and increased from $400 per acre to being introduced in other technology. $1,300 per acre for irrigated land. countries that needed a Our world has many Also with this technology came solution to their food and cultures and each culture is the idea a farmer could just turn water shortage problems. For different except for two the pivot on and not worry about instance, in the Middle East common necessities: food and the usage of water and there is an abundant supply of water. The Food and environmental changes. This was water being used to irrigate Agriculture Organization of not the case. In some states crops for food production and the United Nations estimates center pivots and furrow commercial use, but these there needs to be a 60% irrigation depleted water levels, supplies are being depleted increase in agriculture created run off that led to soil because of mismanagement of productivity to provide the erosion, and decreased water supplies. Knowing that world with enough food to consumptive use of water. water supplies could deplete in meet the demands of an Recognizing these future years many of the estimated population of eight environmental changes, farmers farmers and government billion in 2030. With the are now changing culture once officials started to change continued decline in crop acres again by putting parts of farming management methods being developed for urban use irrigated lands back into prairie by using center pivots as a tool irrigation technology needs to and habitat to help reduce the to increase the efficiency of continue to advance and risk of soil erosion and runoff and water use on crops. In many change our cultural methods in increase the efficiency of water aspects center pivots have order to meet our world’s food usage. They are also changing helped the Middle East and water demands.

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"Rainmakers: A Photographic Story of Center Pivots" is available for purchase directly from The Groundwater Foundation and at speciality bookstores nationwide.

The Groundwater Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and motivating people to care for and about groundwater. Contact us at 1-800-858-4844, [email protected] or visit us online at www.groundwater.org.