From Flood to Drip Irrigation: A Review of Irrigation Modernization Trade-Offs

Water scarcity, climate change, population growth, and rising water demand highlight the urgency of adopting effective water conservation measures. The transition from traditional irrigation systems, such as flood irrigation, to modern ones, like drip irrigation, is often seen as a panacea to improve irrigation efficiency and address water shortages. Despite the flourishing literature on the efficiency gains achieved by shifting to drip irrigation, trade-offs associated with replacing traditional irrigation systems with modern irrigation technologies remain unexplored. Building on this gap, this paper provides a systematic literature review to analyze the current state of knowledge and research on the trade-offs associated with this transition. The review analyses not only the possible effects on agricultural productivity and irrigation efficiency at the farm scale, but also the environmental implications and socio–economic consequences that may emerge at a larger scale. We found that while studies conducted at the field-level emphasize clear benefits associated with the adoption of drip irrigation, including higher crop yields and improved water use efficiency, basin-scale analyses reveal drawbacks, including increased consumptive use, reduced return flows for ecosystem processes, and more generally limited real water savings. Overall, our findings stress the need for more holistic, multi-scale, and interdisciplinary approaches to assess the impact of irrigation modernization, along with the need for policy frameworks that balance agricultural productivity gains with sustainable water management.