Technological Development and Policies in the Scenario of Irrigated Agriculture in Brazil

The need for the conservation of natural resources is of paramount importance with regard to irrigated agriculture, since it is the main consumer and user of water resources in Brazil and in the world. Thus, technologies are being used to increase the efficiency of water use in irrigation and to conserve water resources. Patent data on technological developments of irrigation systems were collected from the National Institute of Industrial Property database, as well as legislation and public policies regarding irrigated agriculture in Brazil. A total of 732 patent registrations were registered in the period between 1974 and 2016. The number of patent registrations on the development of technological processes for irrigation has been increasing, as well as the implementation of policies aimed at irrigated agriculture.