BayG.A.P. SERVICE PROGRAM MODULE 3
Introduction of a low-cost drip irrigation
system
Small-scale farmers can buy and set up a low-
cost drip-irrigation system with as little as the
following two key elements:
• Simple plastic pipes with small holes to be
laid out on the ground allowing irrigation
drop-by-drop
• A water tank mounted on a substructure
to push water through the pipes by gravity
After a short instruction, very simple but efficient
systems can be set up by farmers with locally
available material, e.g. buckets or barrels and
bamboo or PVC tubes used as water reservoir
and distribution pipes. In case wastewater is
used for irrigation, removable filtration units
should be attached to the tank outlet to avoid
contamination and clogging.
The investment for this irrigation system pays off
usually after the first season if used to grow crops
for markets. Household food production can be
increased, particularly during drier periods.
A simple system can be set up with a 20 liter bucket and some longer pieces of partly punctured
hose or tube (10 to 30m, punctures applied evenly spaced) that need to be interconnected and stuck
to the bottom of the bucket. The bucket is mounted 1 meter (3 feet) on a simple substructure above
the ground and gravity allows even watering for the entire crop with a sufficient water pressure. Daily
operation requires pouring clean water into the bucket once, at best through a filter to prevent clog-
ging of the tubes (e.g. through a sand or fabric filter). Water then moves constantly from the bucket
through tubes and is evenly dispensed through the holes onto the field.
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