The systems of traditional irrigation have survived for centuries and even millennia; until many of them were doomed by new technical possibilities, e.g. the supply of water together with low energy prices and the almost unlimited availability of fertilisers (see history). Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, many aspects of traditional irrigation are very forward-looking. This type of irrigation is operated exclusively with the help of gravity. Accordingly, the supply lines are adapted to the regions and the terrain, and overall it is a sustainable, resource-conserving and energy-neutral form of land management.
Traditional irrigation can therefore easily be associated with modern concepts such as sponge landscape, sustainable land use, urban climate, cold air corridors, contemporary flood protection, local recreation and health, biodiversity promotion and many other concepts.
