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 tra-ditional 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 a flourishing literature on the efficiency gains achieved through the shifting to drip irrigation, trade-offs associated with replacing traditional irrigation systems with modern irrigation technologies remain largely 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 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 processed, 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 of policy frameworks that balance agricultural productivity gains with sustainable water management.