Irrigation is a broad term referring to any means of delivering water to growing plants. It can take a number of different forms, from irrigation ditches to drip irrigation and more. It also applies to maintaining landscaping features, such as turf/grass, trees, shrubs, and flowers. Irrigation has essentially been used since humans first began cultivating plants. Any sort of cultivated plant requires water in order to grow and thrive. In many instances, rainfall is not sufficient to achieve this goal. In other instances, an area may experience short or prolonged periods of drought. Irrigation works to get around these problems.