The Irrigation Association (IA) is a membership organization, founded in 1949, that includes over 1,500 irrigation companies and professionals in agriculture, landscape and golf.
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Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, United States, IA promotes irrigation technologies, products and services. Members include irrigation equipment and system manufacturers, dealers, distributors, designers, consultants, contractors, educators, government entities, technical members, water providers and end users.
Certification
Since 1983, IA has offered training courses and education classes through its Select Certified program. Certification programs include:
IA-certified irrigation contractors, landscape/turf irrigation designers, and golf and landscape irrigation auditors qualify to become Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense partners.
Certified irrigation designers with a specialty in sprinkler, surface or drip-micro qualify to become Technical Service Providers for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
In September 2010, IA began offering computer based testing for certification exams to advance its long-term goal of accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.
Education
The Irrigation Foundation is a non-profit organization created by the Irrigation Association for the promotion of irrigation education. Established with the goal of granting scholarships to students, the foundation was re-launched in 2005. Its mission is to promote careers in irrigation.
Smart Irrigation Month
Smart Irrigation Month is a campaign by the Irrigation Association to increase public awareness of the value of water-use efficiency and grow demand for water-saving products, practices and services. Focused on July, the month of peak water demand in North America, the campaign:
Representative John Linder (R-GA) introduced H.Con.Res.118C: "Supporting the goals of Smart Irrigation Month, which recognizes the advances in irrigation technology and practices that help raise healthy plants and increase crop yields while using water resources more efficiently and encourages the adoption of smart irrigation practices throughout the United States to further improve water-use efficiency in agricultural, residential, and commercial activities."