SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / May 29, 2025 / Google and Arable are expanding their collaboration in water replenishment efforts by bringing Arable’s in-field irrigation technology to hundreds of fields across North and South Carolina. The project will support the Edisto-Santee River Basin in South Carolina and the Catawba and Pee Dee Basins in North Carolina. This initiative aims to help farmers make precise irrigation decisions using Arable’s crop intelligence platform, while contributing to Google’s goal of replenishing more water than it consumes by 2030.
Google is funding the use of Arable’s technology on 20,000 acres across both states, aiming to save more than 500 million gallons of water annually over an eight-year period. This is expected to have a significant positive impact on groundwater in some of the most at-risk river basins and aquifers in North and South Carolina, aligning environmental goals with farmer profitability and resilience. Scaling irrigation water-use efficiency will deliver multiple benefits to the region, including improved water availability & quality, farmer training on new technology, enhanced on-farm profitability, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
“As a soil scientist, I’ve seen firsthand how efficient irrigation protects both our natural resources and our farm productivity,” said Dalton Buchanan, Soil Scientist at the Division of Soil and Water Conservation with the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. “In North Carolina, smart water use isn’t just good stewardship – it’s essential for long-term agricultural success.”
“Supporting responsible and sustainable water use in agriculture is essential for the long-term health of ecosystems and communities,” said Suzie Shin, Data Center Sustainability Programs Manager at Google. “With data center campuses in both North Carolina and South Carolina, we’re proud to build on our work with Arable to bring this solution to a region we have called home for nearly 20 years.”
Technology That Drives Impact
Arable’s technology and impact have recently been recognized by TIME Magazine, which named it to its 2025 America’s Top GreenTech Companies list, and by Fast Company, which included Arable in its 2025 ranking of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. These honors underscore the company’s role in advancing climate-smart agriculture through actionable, in-field data.
The Arable platform integrates weather, crop, soil, and irrigation data into a single, easy-to-use system, accessible through mobile and web applications. This empowers growers to optimize irrigation decisions based on exactly how much water their crop needs at all times, while improving productivity and operational efficiency.
Results from Arable and Google’s ongoing collaboration in Nebraska and other similar projects have shown that farmers are able to quickly adopt new technology and see real results in reducing groundwater use at scale, while also improving their operations. Approaches such as this that bring together farmers and provide them the tools they need to support and inform their decisions are vital for replenishing groundwater resources across the agricultural system.
“By combining reliable, real-time data with intuitive decision tools, we’re helping farmers do more with less-less water, less energy, and less risk,” said Jim Ethington, CEO at Arable. “We’re excited to bring much needed technology to a region where the need is high and impact to farmers and ecosystems can be significant.”
Looking Ahead
This expanded collaboration marks another step forward in aligning agricultural innovation with environmental stewardship. By combining Google’s commitment to water stewardship with Arable’s advanced crop intelligence technology, the initiative not only supports individual growers but also contributes to the long-term sustainability of the Carolinas’ vital water systems. With training and support built into the program, participating farmers will be equipped to make lasting changes that benefit both their operations and the environment-setting a replicable model for farmer-led, corporate-sponsored water stewardship across the country.