Boosting farm yields with affordable irrigation practices

Shriveled crops are a common feature along most Ugandan highways, partly because the highways snake through many villages in the country where farming is practiced. Most villagers are reeling from months of a prolonged drought spell.

Small holder farmers suffering from low incomes and poor living conditions are hardest hit, and many have given up all hope for a better life. They have resigned to fate. In the face of such a calamity, alternative strategies like irrigation are required.

In a country like Uganda where there are a large number of water sources like lakes and rivers, irrigation could have been cheaper alternative. However, most farmers consider irrigation an expensive venture only left to large scale farmers; partly because they lack the necessary information.

There are a number affordable irrigation practices that can mitigate the drought challenge and boost crop production; especially for small holder farmers who cannot afford expensive irrigation systems that cost millions of shillings.

Using the treadle pump
According to Duncan Kiyingi, an engineer with Davis and Shirtliff, a company dealing in irrigation systems, a treadle pump is a human powered pump with a 50 metre delivery pipe that can irrigate one acre of land at a distance of two metres. A seven metre suction head is sunk underground to suck water.

“This means treadle pumps require a relatively flat ground and the water table must be within seven metres for maximum results,” he says.
He adds that treadle pumps can be moved from garden to garden as long as the ground is relatively flat which implies that farmers living in the same locality can pool resources to use one treadle pump as long as the water table is within seven metres.
Kiyingi says treadle pumps cost Shs650,000 inclusive of the delivery pipe.

Using watering cans
Most visiting farmers to Katende-Harambee Rural- Urban Training Centre, a demonstration farm and training centre for farmers in Nsawo cell, Namugongo Division in Wakiso District appreciates the idea of irrigating using cans.

A testimony at the centre is the dark green leaf cover of the crops ranging from vegetables to bananas and coffee. The secret lies in using cans to irrigate.

John Baptist Malinzi, a veterinary and training officer at the centre, says watering cans cost between Shs8,000 and Shs9,000 which implies that one can buy depending on the size of labour and garden.
However, he cautions that for successful use of cans, one needs a nearby water source.

“For areas without nearby water sources, I advise farmers to use the rain water harvesting technology,” says Malinzi.

He says for cheap water harvesting, a 36 metre polythene bag with 1000 gauges is required. The polythene is placed in a pit and covered with strong poles. Water pipes are connected from the roof to the pit creating an underground tank.

Malinzi says an underground water tank can accommodate more than 14,000 litres depending on its size.

The total cost of the underground tank is Shs600,000 including labour costs which are affordable to a small scale farmer. Water can be collected from the tank by use of watering cans. “Creating water trenches in gardens can also help channel water to crops whenever it rains. The trenches must be two feet deep. This majorly applies to well spaced crops like bananas and coffee on a sloppy ground, “he says.

Factors to consider before irrigating

According to Stephen Mulinzi, an engineer with Adritex (U) Limited, a company dealing in irrigation systems, topography of the land is a factor to consider especially if a farmer is to use the treadle pump system. Pumping water at an elevated ground is more costly compared to a gently sloping ground.

Mulinzi says,” For an irrigation method to be successful, site survey is necessary to size for the correct irrigation system which is negotiable.”

Mulinzi further says the size of the garden must be put into consideration since a farmer is able to know the number of pumps, buckets or watering cans to be used.

Water availability is the most crucial factor, according to Malinzi, stating that distance from a water body to the garden helps a farmer to adequately prepare for labour related costs, or the length of the pump to be used.

Malinzi advises farmers far from water sources to use the water harvesting method where water can be drawn for irrigation.
Malinzi also says time is important especially if one is using watering cans for irrigation. Mornings and evenings are ideal for watering as the rate of evaporation is low. At such a time there is also high moisture content.

The crop to be irrigated must be considered. According to Duncan Kiyingi, a a Water and Energy Engineer at Davis and Shirtliff, “Crops take up less water while at a young stage which implies less water should be used.”

“Some crops like vegetables also require more water compared to other crops like cereals,” says Kiyingi.

Kiyingi notes that some soils take time to absorb or drain water like clay soils which means more water is required.

Why irrigate
Irrigation ensures all round crop production in a year without necessarily waiting for rain, which results into increased yields. “Most farmers look at irrigation as an insurance cover for their crops so as avoid losses,” Kiyingi says.

He adds that land that was before useless appreciates in value especially where there are poor soils like sandy soils.

Other kinds of irrigation

The bucket kit irrigation
Stephen Mulinzi says the bucket kit is another irrigation technology that can be used to minimise costs. He says it is a low cost method able to deliver adequate amounts of water to crops in an efficient way both in terms of labour and quantity used.

“However one needs a pressurised water source like a tap that pumps water through the connecting pipes to the buckets. “The buckets serve as water reservoirs and are raised to a height of one metre on stands, the buckets have a pressure control tap to deliver small amounts of water at a given time,” he says

Malinzi adds that the bucket kit system costs Shs500,000 for a 150 metre square garden but a farmer can increase the number of buckets depending on the size of the garden. A farmer can easily access a bucket kit in any shop selling farm equipment.

Bottle irrigation
It is the cheapest method that can be used to irrigate crops. According to Malinzi, the bottles are cut at the base or can be left as a whole. Holes are then created at the top which help in releasing water droplets to the plant.

Strings are then used to tie the bottles in an upside way along each plant. The bottles are supported by stands in case the plant stems are not strong. “The bottle can take two days before being re-filled, which ensures maximum use of the available water.” He adds that it improves on seed germination and also limits run off of fertilisers to the water source.