Water Use in Agriculture

Surface Irrigation
Pros: 
-Simple to operate
-Inexpensive
-Easily utilized by developing countries
-Less technology and tools required
Cons:
-Roughly 1/2 of water is not transported to crops and is wasted 
-Water is lost from Runoff

Drip Irrigation
Pros:
-More efficient in watering fruits/veggies than flooding
-Less evaporation
-Water is applied directly to the root and is more nourishing to plant
-Water is easily directed
Cons:
-Equipment is more costly than flood irrigation
-Installation can be troublesome
-Can require significant management time

Spray Irrigation
Pros:
-Less wasteful than surface irrigation
-Offer controlled, thorough, and automated watering intervals
Cons:
-Requires costly machinery
-High levels of evaporation occur 
-High pressure systems are lest precise and more wasteful

     In my opinion, drip irrigation is the ideal option for farmers to utilize. The fact that it is least wasteful makes it less expensive in the long-run which accomodates for the initial costliness of equipment. Furthermore, considering the many issues of water shortage around the world, it is very important to conserve as much water as possible and this system definitely does that well. Because the flow is very controlled and applied directly to the root, more money and water is saved in this method than the spray or surface methods. Utilizing rows of rubber tubes would also reduce manual labor required for watering plants in contrast with surface irrigation. Therefore, i think that if countries have the financial ability to invest in drip irrigation, It would be the most beneficial method of irrigation to use.