Agricultural irrigation accounts for 42% of global freshwater use, and growing populations, along with worsening droughts, are pushing water supplies to the brink. With every drop of water becoming more precious, farmers around the world are facing an urgent question: how can we produce more food using less water? Although this is not a new question, it is one with an evolving answer that demands continuous investigation. For example, flood irrigation was considered the most effective method available for thousands of years. Today, we recognize its drawbacks—such as significant water loss through evaporation—and have since developed more efficient solutions. One such advancement is subsurface drip irrigation, which eliminates the issue of evaporation by delivering water beneath the soil’s protection. What breakthroughs lie ahead that could reshape the troubling reality of water loss in crop irrigation? Our mission is clear: we must continually seek new and improved methods to irrigate effectively.