Dry Season Farming...
This post on irrigation is informed by the fact that the dry season is usually a challenging period for farmers especially in Northern Nigeria. With an average Precipitation that is below 60 millimetres and lack of watering holes, farmers face many challenges in planting.
Some farmlands receive yearly rainfall of about 20 inches. Many farmlands in the North have become degraded. Areas that used to be covered by trees and homes have been deforested. Also, the climate is changing the outlook of farming.
Farmers face unpredictable weather brought on by climate change. Sometimes the rainy season comes late; at other times, it ends early. Sometimes the rains come late and hard, causing floods. At other times, rains don’t come at all, causing drought. With these weather changes, it is difficult for farmers to plan which crops to grow, when to prepare land, when to plant, and how to plan other farming tasks. Worst hit are those from the North who have to respond to serious weather changes, making it difficult for them to farm during dry season, which runs from October to May. The weather during this period is much hotter and drier. For this reason, farmers are encouraged to adopt various agricultural practices to confront these differences in weather patterns.
It is in the light of the fact that irrigation farming is more productive because it was usually regulated and more focused than rain-fed farming that is why even people in the South are being encouraged to use the dams in their areas for irrigation.
“We are encouraging people in the South now to go into irrigation farming even though we don’t have a long period of dry season for them to do continuous irrigation. Having noted this let's briefly consider what irrigation is.
IRRIGATION
Irrigation is the the controlled application of water for agricultural purposes through manmade systems to supply water requirements not satisfied by rainfall. Crop irrigation is vital throughout the world in order to provide the world's ever-growing populations with enough food.
Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil through various systems of tubes, pumps, and sprays. Irrigation is usually used in areas where rainfall is irregular or dry times or drought is expected. There are many types of irrigation systems, in which water is supplied to the entire field uniformly. Irrigation water can come from groundwater, through springs or wells, surface water, through rivers, lakes, or reservoirs, or even other sources, such as treated wastewater or desalinated water.
Types of Irrigation Systems
There are many different types of irrigation systems, depending on how the water is distributed throughout the field. Some common types of irrigation systems include:
Surface irrigation
Water is distributed over and across land by gravity, no mechanical pump involved.
Localized irrigation
Water is distributed under low pressure, through a piped network and applied to each plant.
Drip irrigation
A type of localized irrigation in which drops of water are delivered at or near the root of plants. In this type of irrigation, evaporation and runoff are minimized.
Sprinkler irrigation
Water is distributed by overhead high-pressure sprinklers or guns from a central location in the field or from sprinklers on moving platforms.
Center pivot irrigation
Water is distributed by a system of sprinklers that move on wheeled towers in a circular pattern. This system is common in flat areas of the United States.
Lateral move irrigation
Water is distributed through a series of pipes, each with a wheel and a set of sprinklers, which are rotated either by hand or with a purpose-built mechanism. The sprinklers move a certain distance across the field and then need to have the water hose reconnected for the next distance. This system tends to be less expensive but requires more labor than others.
Sub-irrigation
Water is distributed across land by raising the water table, through a system of pumping stations, canals, gates, and ditches. This type of irrigation is most effective in areas with high water tables.
Manual irrigation
Water is distributed across land through manual labor and watering cans. This system is very labor intensive.
Subsurface irrigation consists of methods whereby irrigation water is applied below the soil surface. The specific type of irrigation method varies depending on the depth of the water table. When the water table is well below the surface, drip or trickle irrigation emission devices can be buried below the soil surface (usually within the plant root zone).
This Motorcycle Water Pumping Device will no doubt be Useful to you. To Check it out, click here or watch a video demonstration here.
Irrigation is the the controlled application of water for agricultural purposes through manmade systems to supply water requirements not satisfied by rainfall. Crop irrigation is vital throughout the world in order to provide the world's ever-growing populations with enough food.
Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil through various systems of tubes, pumps, and sprays. Irrigation is usually used in areas where rainfall is irregular or dry times or drought is expected. There are many types of irrigation systems, in which water is supplied to the entire field uniformly. Irrigation water can come from groundwater, through springs or wells, surface water, through rivers, lakes, or reservoirs, or even other sources, such as treated wastewater or desalinated water.
Types of Irrigation Systems
There are many different types of irrigation systems, depending on how the water is distributed throughout the field. Some common types of irrigation systems include:
Surface irrigation
Water is distributed over and across land by gravity, no mechanical pump involved.
Localized irrigation
Water is distributed under low pressure, through a piped network and applied to each plant.
Drip irrigation
A type of localized irrigation in which drops of water are delivered at or near the root of plants. In this type of irrigation, evaporation and runoff are minimized.
Sprinkler irrigation
Water is distributed by overhead high-pressure sprinklers or guns from a central location in the field or from sprinklers on moving platforms.
Center pivot irrigation
Water is distributed by a system of sprinklers that move on wheeled towers in a circular pattern. This system is common in flat areas of the United States.
Lateral move irrigation
Water is distributed through a series of pipes, each with a wheel and a set of sprinklers, which are rotated either by hand or with a purpose-built mechanism. The sprinklers move a certain distance across the field and then need to have the water hose reconnected for the next distance. This system tends to be less expensive but requires more labor than others.
Sub-irrigation
Water is distributed across land by raising the water table, through a system of pumping stations, canals, gates, and ditches. This type of irrigation is most effective in areas with high water tables.
Manual irrigation
Water is distributed across land through manual labor and watering cans. This system is very labor intensive.
Subsurface irrigation consists of methods whereby irrigation water is applied below the soil surface. The specific type of irrigation method varies depending on the depth of the water table. When the water table is well below the surface, drip or trickle irrigation emission devices can be buried below the soil surface (usually within the plant root zone).
This Motorcycle Water Pumping Device will no doubt be Useful to you. To Check it out, click here or watch a video demonstration here.
Comments
Post a Comment