Editing Center-pivot irrigation (section)

==Benefits==
Center-pivot irrigation uses less labor than many other [[surface irrigation]] methods, such as [[Surface irrigation#Furrow irrigation|furrow irrigation]].<ref name="CAFNR"/> It also has lower labor costs than ground-irrigation techniques that require digging of channels. Also, center-pivot irrigation can reduce the amount of soil [[tillage]]. Therefore, it helps reduce water runoff and soil erosion that can occur with ground irrigation.<ref name="CAFNR"/> Less tillage also encourages more organic materials and [[crop residue]] to decompose back into the soil. It also reduces soil compaction.<ref name="CAFNR"/>

In the United States early settlers of the semiarid [[High Plains (United States)|High Plains]] were plagued by crop failures due to cycles of [[drought]], culminating in the disastrous [[Dust Bowl]] of the 1930s. Only after [[World War II]] when center pivot irrigation became available did the land mass of the High Plains aquifer system transform into one of the most agriculturally productive regions in the world.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

[[File:Crop Triangle South Africa.jpg|alt=The crops are planted in circles for efficient irrigation.|thumb|The crops are planted in circles for efficient [[irrigation]].]]