Use of software to aid irrigation

Abstract

Irrigation is a resource used by farmers to guarantee their production in regions where the rainfall regime is marked by extreme rainfall irregularity in time and space. Considering the great importance irrigation has for agriculture, especially in regions where the frequency of rainfall is irregular, it becomes as important as the knowledge of technical parameters of the crop, soil and climate to help producers in carrying out irrigation in a precise and less costly manner. There are different types of irrigation and different techniques used for good water management and resource saving. However, many of these tools and knowledge are not available to small producers because they are too expensive, not widespread or difficult to handle. Some technological tools have been emerging in recent years to help producers to perform irrigation based on technical parameters, one of these tools is software and applications that become a cheap and accessible alternative to the vast majority of producers. However, such software must be simple and intuitive so that it can be used by producers with little or no instruction.