Netafim: The Originators of Drip Irrigation

Netafim is an Israeli manufacturer of irrigation equipment which produces drippers, dripperlines, sprinklers and micro-emitters. Additionally, it manufactures and distributes crop management technologies, including monitoring and control systems, dosing systems and crop management software.

Ze’Ev Barylka, marketing director, Netafim

“It started in Israel in 1965, and like many other inventions, really started by mistake,” said Ze’Ev Barylka, marketing director of the company. “A German engineer who had immigrated to Israel noticed that in the middle of nowhere, there were trees flourishing very nicely, and was curious enough to be amazed how a sprinkle of water from an underground pipe could generate these amazing trees.”

That gave him the idea to create a product that could mirror that process in an environment normally without water, in an effort to make a dessert bloom simply by sprinkling a little water at a time.

Although early efforts found a great deal of skepticism about his idea, he eventually connected with a communal farming community growing peaches, and they decided to invest in his product. The results were more than anyone had dreamed.

“This was the beginning of drip irrigation and eventually from there, 50 years more of continued innovation associated with perfecting the method of irrigating with a less amount of water, has made us what we are,” Barylka said. “Fast-forward to 2020 and the company has more than $1 billion of revenue and 30 offices around the world, and we sell products in more than 100 countries.”

He explains that this precision irrigation method is an approach to agriculture that empowers growers to produce higher yields of better-quality crops with less resources. It increases water productivity and fertilizer-use efficiency.

Ze’Ev Barylka, marketing director, Netafim

“Regardless of the crop, climate, soil or region, people can grow more food using fewer resources, use agriculture to climb out of poverty and generate more profit, and live healthier, more empowered lives,” Barylka says. “Our goal is a simple one—to make precision irrigation the most accessible and effective solution for growers around the world.”

Netafim was established in the United States nearly 40 years ago, and its U.S. headquarters are based in Fresno, CA.

“Organic growers overall are a very special group of people and our company and these growers have incredible strong alignment in terms of values,” Barylka says. “Organic growers are stewards of the land and of health and that’s what we do. We want to become the most sustainable farming method ever. We use the least amount of water of anyone else, which with organic, goes hand-in-hand.”

Netafim’s method also involves using the least amount of fertilizer, which for organic growers is very important.

“We have a lot of knowledge, knowhow and methods that can help them achieve their goals, which is basically how to increase yields using the least amount of water and fertilizer,” Barylka says. “That’s right in our slogan: ‘Grow more with less.’”

Netafim values transparency among its partners and associates, and its openness and integrity help the company’s leaders build trust and enables more productive collaboration.

“That in turn helps our partners and associates achieve greater success and generate more profit,” Barylka says. “The same goes for the suppliers, competitors and government agencies we do business with.”

A challenge is with all the different organic fertilizers coming out, it can sometimes make it difficult for things to work properly as it can clog the drippers. For this reason, Barylka says that organic growers should talk with a Netafim rep to ensure they are using the right piece of equipment that irrigation is accomplished as desired.  

Looking ahead, Netafim still sees plenty of opportunities for growth. As people become more aware of water conservation issues and the need to think with the future in mind, more growers will look for products to help them accomplish that.

“We are going to look above and beyond the initial drip and look at more complex problems,” Barylka says. “One of the major problems in the U.S. right now is the issue of nitrate management and Netafim has developed a system to use manure water from dairy operations as a nutrient for corn that will be consumed by the cows. We’ll be moving to larger problems because we have the knowhow from decades of experience.”