In South Africa, as in the rest of the world, agriculture is the largest user of freshwater resources, surface and groundwater included. For South Africa, agricultural use amounts to about 60% of the total use. Irrigated agriculture is therefore increasingly under pressure to produce more food with less, or the same amount of, water.

This goal can only be achieved if advances in irrigation technology and research on crop water needs are applied appropriately in irrigation systems. The accurate monitoring and measuring of water use are integral to this process.