As we kick off 2025, the agricultural industry faces mounting challenges, from climate- or regulatory-induced water scarcity to rising input costs. For farmers, good water management remains a critical factor in maintaining profitability and social license to operate. Smarter water management improves crop yields, reduces costs and improves operational resilience, ensuring your farm is set up for success in the coming year.
This blog offers actionable tips to optimise water use and boost profitability, with a spotlight on how nanobubble technology can make a difference.
1. Assess your water use efficiency
Start by evaluating your current irrigation practices to identify your baseline usage, and potential inefficiencies. Tools like soil moisture sensors and flow meters are now industry standard, providing valuable insights into water usage and helping pinpoint areas for improvement. For those looking to dial-in their water use efficiency further, data is king; truly understanding your farm’s irrigation requirements and challenges allows you to cut through the myriad of improvement options available, and select tools that work for your individual farm's needs.
2. Upgrade your irrigation system
Modern irrigation systems allow for more precise water application, minimising waste and maximising plant uptake. Most irrigated farmers in New Zealand have shifted from less efficient flood to precision systems like drip, pivot or k-line.
However, there is a new wave of irrigation tech hitting the market, allowing farmers to stretch this precious and limited resource further than ever before. For those with an innovative and open mind, the possibilities are endless. So, do your homework – Irrigation NZ and Dairy NZ provide regular workshops and resources on irrigation best practice and new tech adoption relevant to kiwi dairy farmers.

How Nanobubble Technology Helps:
Nanobubbles are a cutting edge, gas-to-liquid transfer technology. In agriculture and horticulture, nanobubble technology is being used to dramatically improve crop yield and plant health, while simultaneously improving water use efficiency.
Nanobubble Agritech have developed a world-first system that has unlocked this technology to for large scale producers. Where previously only available at a price point that enabled an attractive return on investment for smaller, high value protected cropping and hydroponic growers, now outdoor farms and orchards are able to realise the benefits too. Learn more by getting in touch here.
3. Focus on soil health
Healthy soil retains moisture more effectively, improving plant nutrient uptake and reducing the amount of water needed for irrigation. Practices like cover cropping and low or no till can improve soil organic matter and structure. Nanobubble technology improves soil health by increasing water infiltration, reducing compaction and increasing microbial activity.
Real-world results:
At Redland Fruit in Mildura Australia, nanobubbles significantly improved soil health, significantly reducing soil-borne disease (phytophthora) and demonstrably improving tree growth and performance.
Read more on Redland Fruit's success here.
4. Monitor weather patterns
Irrigation is, unfortunately, not a set-and-forget activity. Seasonal weather fluctuations, such as droughts or unseasonably wet periods, can significantly impact water needs. Irrigation NZ publishes seasonal weather outlooks by region (check out the 2024-25 summer outlook here), but many tools exist now to provide farmers with accurate, location-specific daily and weekly forecasting to better inform decision-making. Take advantage of these tools to plan irrigation schedules, optimise water use for production, and put risk mitigation strategies and tools in place.
Real-world results:
Nanobubble technology improves crop resilience during dry spells, allowing farmers to maintain productivity even under weather-related stress.
The team at Henderson Farms in Canterbury, New Zealand knew that limited water in the latter half of the summer was compounded by the harsh Nor'Wester winds typical of the region. This meant a struggle to maintain optimal soil moisture for the full growing season. A Nanobubble Agritech system was ideal in this situation, not only delivering the production benefits associated with nanobubble treatment, but the mobile dripline feature also dramatically reducing evaporative losses from sprinklers.
Within a single season, the 100ha pivot retrofitted with Nanobubble Agritech system at Henderson Farms achieved a 15–20% reduction in water usage while increasing pasture yield by 30%.
Read more on Henderson Farms here.
Conclusion
Smarter water management is a vital step toward a more profitable 2025. By having a clear picture of your water usage, upgrading systems based on your individual farm’s needs, improving soil health, and embracing innovations like nanobubble technology, you can achieve higher productivity while conserving valuable resources and improving your operational resilience.
Ready to take your water management to the next level? At Nanobubble Agritech, we strongly believe ‘prescription without diagnosis is malpractice’. We take the time to understand your farm’s unique operational constraints and pain points, rather than pushing a wrong-fit product that doesn’t deliver.
Get in touch today for a quick introductory call, to see if our technology could transform your farm.
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