Undoubtedly, producing food is of vital importance. Water is one of the essential elements, as well as soil, sun, and air. It has been proven that the different vegetative stages of crops can be developed with little aeration; with minimum sunlight, as in a greenhouse shade cloth; the plants can be adapted to different soil conditions as in plant substrates, but water must always be present and in sufficient proportions to obtain the expected production.

The climatic conditions, type of crop, planting season in which the crop will be grown, must be considered to define the water required and even the most suitable irrigation system for the crop. Irrigation systems engineering contemplates the quality of irrigation water, water-saving methods in its application, and avoiding cross-contamination on the way to the crop.  As well as supplying certain substances to guarantee its quality, as could be the case of peracetic acid.

In each agricultural cycle, the companies perform their risk analysis in their different areas, including analysis of the water used for irrigation by an accredited laboratory. The objective is to determine the quality in terms of a possible microbial load, as well as some heavy metals that could harm the health of consumers. If detected, it is necessary to establish control measures to bring the parameters back within the standards and certification schemes used by the company.

It is advisable to have a monitoring program for irrigation water sources and irrigation systems to avoid contamination.  It is necessary to establish the days that monitoring will be performed, who performs it, whether it is done internally or externally (outsourced company), schedules, materials needed, among others. Also, have a program for the supply of the product that will be applied to lower and maintain the microbial load to acceptable levels.

Through its weekly audits, Veggies from Mexico seeks to guarantee the quality of the irrigation water, together with the community’s growers.