Water & Rainwater
Irrigation, Reservoirs & Scheduling
Apply what the crop needs, when the licence allows, from water you stored.
Irrigation scheduling based on soil moisture deficit and evapotranspiration rather than habit typically delivers substantial water and energy savings alongside better crop uniformity. This module runs the scheduling model, manages reservoir storage and refill, and appraises the capital case for winter storage against a summer abstraction licence that may not always be available.
- 12 capabilities
- 4 linked schemes
- Offline capable
- 12
- Capabilities in this module
- 5
- Interactive tools
- 4
- Linked support schemes
- 5
- Data integrations
- 5
- Measures reported
The ground reality
What is actually happening in irrigation in the UK
Field studies of sensor and evapotranspiration-based scheduling consistently report water use efficiency gains in the range of 20 to 40 per cent alongside yield improvement. On-farm reservoir and irrigation grants have been available through the capital grant offers, and winter storage is increasingly the only route to secure summer water as abstraction is constrained.
Figures are as published at the time of writing. Farm policy and payment rates change frequently — verify against the primary source before relying on any number here.
In the field
Irrigation, as it actually looks
Photography from working UK holdings alongside the interface that records it. Every frame below is a commissioned slot: the brief is stated until the photograph is taken.
Irrigation — a walkthrough
A working pass through irrigation: entering the record once, and watching it appear in the evidence pack, the calendar and the scheme application without being typed again.
- 0:00 What the module is for
- 0:48 Entering the record
- 2:05 Where it appears next
- 3:20 The evidence pack
Photography slots state their own brief until the shot is commissioned, so the layout never shifts when real images arrive.
Capabilities
What Irrigation does
Every capability below is built on the same underlying record, so entering something once is enough for it to appear wherever it is needed.
Record and plan
- Soil moisture deficit modelling by field, soil type and crop stage
- Evapotranspiration-based scheduling with local weather input
- Soil moisture sensor integration with calibration to field capacity
Operate and monitor
- Irrigation event planning, execution and recording
- Application uniformity assessment for booms, guns and drip
- Reservoir storage volume, refill and drawdown management
Comply and evidence
- Reservoir design appraisal with capital cost and grant modelling
- Reservoir safety and inspection compliance record
- Energy use per cubic metre pumped with cost tracking
Analyse and improve
- Fertigation programme integration with the nutrient plan
- Crop water requirement and critical stage identification
- Deficit irrigation strategy modelling when water is limited
Interactive
Tools you actually use, not screens you read
These are working interfaces inside the module — maps, calculators, planners and dashboards that respond to your own holding data.
Soil moisture deficit chart per field with irrigation trigger points
Soil moisture deficit chart per field with irrigation trigger points
ChartIrrigation scheduler producing a prioritised watering plan for the week
Irrigation scheduler producing a prioritised watering plan for the week
ToolReservoir capacity calculator sizing storage against seasonal requirement
Reservoir capacity calculator sizing storage against seasonal requirement
CalculatorEnergy cost per cubic metre comparator across pumps and sources
Energy cost per cubic metre comparator across pumps and sources
ToolDeficit irrigation yield impact model when the licence runs short
Deficit irrigation yield impact model when the licence runs short
ToolEnd to end
How Irrigation runs, start to finish
The module is modelled as a state machine, so at any point the business knows exactly which stage every record is at and what has to happen next.
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1
Establish soil water holding capacity by field
This is where the record starts, and getting it right here removes work at every later stage.
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2
Install and calibrate monitoring
The platform prompts only for what this stage genuinely needs, and carries everything forward.
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3
Model the deficit daily
Conflicts with scheme rules, regulatory windows and existing commitments are flagged here rather than discovered later.
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4
Plan irrigation against licence headroom
Capture works offline, so this stage is completed in the field rather than remembered afterwards.
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5
Apply and record volumes
Everything recorded at this point becomes evidence automatically, in every format that will later ask for it.
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6
Monitor uniformity and energy use
This is the stage most businesses currently do twice, once for the operation and once for the paperwork.
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7
Manage reservoir refill through winter
Results feed the whole-farm view, so the effect of this stage is visible against the rest of the business.
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8
Review seasonal efficiency and yield response
The cycle closes here, and what is learned is carried into next season's plan rather than lost.
Who uses it
Built around four real jobs, not one generic user
Each of these people needs something different from the same record. The module is designed so none of them has to work around the others.
Potato grower
Irrigated on light land
Needs scheduling that protects tuber quality without wasting licence volume.
Salad producer
High-frequency irrigation
Needs uniformity and energy cost under control.
Farm engineer
Reservoir project
Needs a capital appraisal with grant funding modelled.
Agronomist
Water advice
Needs deficit data rather than a rain gauge and judgement.
Schemes and funding
Support schemes this module works with
Agrivencia holds these schemes as data, so eligibility, payment rates, caps and windows update the day they change rather than at the next software release.
Water Management Grant
Fund on-farm water storage and efficient irrigation to secure water supply and reduce abstraction pressure.
Defra / Rural Payments Agency EnglandFarming Transformation Fund
Fund larger capital projects that transform farm productivity, water management or value addition.
Defra / Rural Payments Agency EnglandEnvironmental Land Management Capital Grants
Fund capital works supporting environmental outcomes — boundaries, water, air quality, natural flood management and infrastructure.
Defra / Rural Payments Agency EnglandImproving Farm Productivity Grant
Support investment in robotics, automation and on-farm energy that raises productivity.
Defra / Rural Payments AgencyRates, caps and windows change frequently and sometimes without notice. Always confirm against the current published scheme rules before applying.
Measurement
How you will know it is working
The module reports against these measures from the day it is switched on, so the value is demonstrable rather than assumed.
- 01Water applied per hectare
- 02Water use efficiency per tonne
- 03Energy cost per cubic metre
- 04Application uniformity coefficient
- 05Reservoir utilisation
Obligation calendar
What irrigation asks of you, and when
Windows, deadlines and recurring obligations for England. Set a different nation and the calendar reconfigures; farm across a border and it shows both, reconciled.
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February 1 entry
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3 February: Animal Health and Welfare Pathway
Rolling application.
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March 1 entry
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3 March: Plan irrigation against licence headroom
A recurring step in irrigation.
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April 1 entry
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20 April: Adding Value Grant
Round-based.
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May 1 entry
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9 May: Install and calibrate monitoring
A recurring step in irrigation.
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June 2 entries
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5 June: Farming Transformation Fund
Round-based by theme.
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15 June: Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026
Two windows in 2026: window one from 30 June, window two from September.
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July 3 entries
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10 July: Model the deficit daily
A recurring step in irrigation.
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14 July: Slurry Infrastructure Grant
Round-based.
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17 July: Water Management Grant
Round-based.
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August 1 entry
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12 August: Establish soil water holding capacity by field
A recurring step in irrigation.
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October 1 entry
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5 October: Farming Equipment and Technology Fund
Round-based, usually open for a defined application period.
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November 2 entries
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12 November: Improving Farm Productivity Grant
Round-based.
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27 November: Environmental Land Management Capital Grants
Round-based, with rapid allocation once open.
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December 1 entry
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26 December: Countryside Stewardship
Rolling and round-based depending on the tier and option group.
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Payment schedule
What is due, and when it lands
Farm support arrives in instalments from several bodies on different calendars. Set against your own overdraft, the question is not how much but when — so the ledger is ordered by date, not by scheme.
| When | Payment | From | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | Water Management Grant | Defra / Rural Payments Agency | — | Expected |
| February | Farming Transformation Fund | Defra / Rural Payments Agency | — | Agreed |
| June | Environmental Land Management Capital Grants | Defra / Rural Payments Agency | — | Eligible |
| June | Improving Farm Productivity Grant | Defra / Rural Payments Agency | — | Eligible |
| June | Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 | Defra / Rural Payments Agency | — | Eligible |
| March | Countryside Stewardship | Defra / Natural England / Rural Payments Agency | — | Eligible |
- — Agreed and scheduled
- — Claimed, awaiting payment
- — Eligible, unclaimed
What the statuses mean
- Agreed
- Under a signed agreement with a scheduled payment date.
- Expected
- Claimed and assessed; payment date per the published standard.
- Eligible
- Your holding appears to qualify but nothing is claimed yet.
Questions answered
What people ask about Irrigation
Does this replace the software I already use?
Not necessarily. Agrivencia integrates with authoritative sources and mainstream packages rather than insisting on replacing them. Where an incumbent does one job well, the platform connects to it; where the job spans several systems and nobody does it, the platform does it.
Will it work where I have no signal?
Yes. Field capture in Irrigation is offline first, storing locally and synchronising when a connection returns. Only around a fifth of UK farms report reliable signal across the whole holding, so this is a design assumption rather than a feature.
What happens when the scheme rules change?
Scheme rules are held as data rather than code, so a rate change, a cap change or a window closure is a content update that takes effect the same day. The platform also alerts you to what the change does to your own position.
Who owns the data I put in?
You do. The Farm Data Charter gives you a complete export in open formats at any time, and every instance of data sharing requires an explicit, revocable consent that is visible in your account.
Does it work if I farm across a border?
Yes, and that is one of the main reasons the platform exists. A business with land in more than one nation sees one reconciled view rather than two portals, with obligations and deadlines from both administrations in a single calendar.
Can my agronomist or land agent use it too?
Yes. You grant scoped, time-limited access per holding and per module, and you can revoke it in one click. Advisers never get a shared password or a blanket view.
What is the biggest limitation of this module?
Sensor drift. Mitigated by scheduled recalibration. We would rather state that plainly than let you discover it after signing.
Documents
Take it away with you
Everything here is printable and works on a kitchen table with no signal. Where a document asks for an email address, it says so on the button rather than after you press it.
Scheduling by Deficit: Irrigation That Saves Water and Raises Yield
The practical handbook for irrigation: what the rules require, what the evidence has to show, and the mistakes that cost people money.
irrigation — evidence checklist
Every document an audit or a claim asks for, in the order it is asked for, with the validity period of each.
irrigation — record template
The record structure the module uses, as a spreadsheet, so a business not yet on the platform can start keeping it correctly today.
Data model reference
Entities, fields and integration points for irrigation, for advisers and software partners.
See Irrigation running on your own holding
Thirty minutes, using your parcels, your schemes and your enterprises rather than a sample farm. No obligation and no sales script — if it does not fit your business we will say so.
- Free tier available
- No card required
- Your data stays yours