Design of a farm irrigation system entails both technical and nontechnical considerations. It is an integration of principles borrowed from agriculture, meteorology, hydrology, hydraulics, irrigation, and drainage engineering as well as economic, environmental, and management sciences. This chapter provides a snapshot of the steps involved in designing a farm irrigation system.

Irrigation is vital for productive agriculture and consequent food and nutritional security. However, irrigation requirements are fundamentally impacted by climate, soil, and the crops to be irrigated. They are also impacted by the source, availability, and quality of water. Providing a snapshot of irrigation worldwide as well as in the United States, this chapter discusses the organization of the book, irrigation practices, and environmental concerns arising due to irrigation, and is concluded with a reflection on the future of irrigation.

Crops are grown in certain types of soils, that is, not all soils are suitable for growing all crops and some crops can be grown in only certain types of soils. Irrigation of crops significantly depends on the type of soil. Soil is fundamental to our biosphere and requires proper management. This chapter discusses the basic soil properties that are relevant to crops and farm irrigation.

Irrigated agriculture is vital for food security. Irrigation systems that make it possible are usually designed with the long-term objective that they are economically sustainable, although that is not always the case in many developing countries. This chapter visits fundamental concepts needed for analyzing benefits and costs, which in the long term define the benefit–cost ratio.

In thewe saw how we can use Python as a basic calculator. Along the way, we were introduced to expressions, variables, and environments to type in and run Python code. In this chapter, we will extend our use of Python as a basic calculator to tasks associated with a scientific calculator.

Behavior genetics – the scientific study of heredity–behavior relations – has come of age. Since the middle of the twentieth century, accumulating scientific evidence has shown that genetic differences between individuals play a significant role in behavioral differences between them. In fact, it is now generally accepted that genetic variation is an important contributor to individual differences in behavior. Although the fundamental question about the role of inheritance in behavioral resemblance is not new, recent technological advances provide new ways to peek behind nature’s curtain. It is easy to get excited about the potential for discoveries in behavior genetics. We appear to be entering a new era in which it may be possible to understand the biological mechanisms responsible for familial behavioral resemblance. However, we should enter this era with humility. The history of behavior genetics is full of periods of excitement followed by disappointment. It also contains sobering lessons of scientific hubris and state-sponsored human rights violations. There is a lot to be excited about, but it is important to remember history, and to understand the limitations of behavior genetics, especially when considering the application of behavior genetic findings to human beings.