Beating the Drought: One Farmer’s Shift to Drip Irrigation Saves His Potato Crop

While drought has devastated many farms this season, Martin Hanse, a seed potato farmer in Kerkwerve, has managed to keep his crops alive through a strategic investment in drip irrigation. With little rain over his fields all summer, Hanse laid flat hoses with tiny holes every 30 centimeters, delivering water in small, targeted portions directly to the soil. The result? Even as dust rises from dry paths, his potato beds remain moist enough to support continued growth. To supply the system, he built a 3‑meter‑high water basin with a capacity of 22,000 cubic meters—though this season’s reserves have run low, the stored water was used far more efficiently than traditional sprinklers would have allowed.

Despite the visible green patches on his irrigated plots, Hanse admits this won’t be his best harvest year. Yet the contrast between irrigated and non‑irrigated sections is striking, with drip irrigation clearly boosting yields where it was applied. He has now stopped watering, as the potatoes are already large enough, but he hopes for rain in the coming weeks to help finalize the crop. His experience underscores the value of precision water management in an era of intensifying dry spells—showing that while drought cannot be fully escaped, smart technology can make a critical difference.