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Small-scale irrigation for arid zones: Principles and options This publication is an attempt to distil current information on irrigation methods that might be appropriate, and to offer some ideas on the possible adoption and adaptation of such methods by small-scale farmers in the semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa. At issue is a vast region greatly in need of enhanced and more stable agricultural production. Yet the irrigated sector here has, to date, suffered from underdevelopment. Numerous efforts to develop the sector have foundered in the past, possibly because the approach has been inappropriate to the physical and socio-economic conditions prevailing in the region.

Small-scale irrigation design File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat

Effective rainfall in irrigated agriculture The primary source of water for agricultural production for most of the world is rainfall. Three main characteristics of rainfall are its amount, frequency and intensity, the values of which vary from place to place, day to day, month to month and also year to year. Precise knowledge of these three main characteristics is essential for planning its full utilization.

An Introduction To Drip Irrigation Clinton C. Shock. Drip irrigation can be a great aid to the efficient use of water. A well designed drip irrigation system or subsurface drip irrigation system will lose practically no water to runoff, deep percolation or evaporation. Irrigation scheduling can be precisely managed to meet crop demands, holding the promise of increased crop yields and quality. Drip irrigation will decrease water contact with crop leaves, stems, and fruit. Thus conditions may be less favorable for the onset of diseases. Often growers or irrigation professionals refer to "subsurface drip irrigation" or SDI. When the drip tube can be buried below the soil surface, it is less vulnerable to damage during cultivation or weeding. Water use can be managed to be very efficient with SDI because irrigations can avoid water losses to evaporation, runoff, and wetting the soil below the root zone.

Western Oregon Irrigation Guides The Western Oregon Irrigation Guides were developed to aid growers in this region with irrigation management and scheduling for common irrigated crops. Key facts concerning crop-specific water management are supplied in each guide along with a worksheet of appropriate irrigation schedules. Guides presently available are listed below. The detailed guides are provided in Adobe Acrobat format. This requires your browser to have an Acrobat Reader plug-in.

Efficient Irrigation A water-wise landscape requires a minimal amount of supplemental water from irrigation. When irrigation is used, water should be applied efficiently and effectively to make every drop count. Wasted water costs money and may lead to surface water or groundwater contamination.

Plastic Mulches and Drip Irrigation Muskmelons, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, watermelons and okra are vegetable crops that have shown significant increases in earliness, yield, and fruit quality when grown on plastic mulch. Some less valuable crops such as sweet corn, snap beans, southern peas and pumpkins have shown similar responses. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of using plastic mulches are outlined. PDF for downloading this article

Outline of Drip Irrigation Components This checklist is provided to help growers recognize components of a drip or trickle irrigation system and to assist in planning and installing such a system. A grower should always consult an irrigation specialist or irrigation company that designs and installs drip or trickle systems to ensure the system is properly engineered and designed for his water source and field topography. PDF for downloading this article

DRIP OR TRICKLE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS: AN OPERATIONS AND TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST This leaflet is intended to assist growers in troubleshooting drip or trickle irrigation systems. For major problems consult an irrigation specialist or irrigation company that designs and installs drip or trickle irrigation systems. PDF for downloading this article

Vegetable Crop Irrigation Growers often wait too long to begin irrigating, thinking, "It will rain tomorrow." This often results in severe stress for the portion of the field that dries out first or receives irrigation last. Another common problem is trying to stretch the acreage that can reasonably be covered by available equipment. Both of these practices result in part or all of the field being in water stress. It is best that a good job be done on some of the acreage rather than a "half-way job" being done on all the acreage. PDF for downloading this article

Summer Cover Crops There is growing interest in the use of short-season summer annual legumes or grasses as cover crops and green manures in vegetable production systems. Cover crops can provide a significant source of nitrogen (N) for subsequent crops; reduce erosion, runoff, and potential pollution of surface waters; capture soil N that might otherwise be lost to leaching; add organic matter to the soil; improve soil physical properties; impact insect and disease life cycles; and suppress nematode populations and weed growth. There can be potential drawbacks, such as cooler soils in the spring, and the additional cost of seeding the cover crop. These factors must be considered depending on the particular cash crops and cover crops being grown. PDF for downloading this article

A Low-Cost Water Measuring Device. Measuring water in open channels is a basic element of water conservation. With the increasing demand for improved water management techniques, there is a serious need for low-cost and accurate water-measuring devices. Ever since the development of the Parshall flume, attempts have been made to simplify the construction and improve the accuracy of water-measuring devices in open channels.

"Organic Gardening Techniques" by R. Rothenberger and K. Hildahl [1/97] Has a great table on the major constituents of animal manures & their uses. Good article, too!

Supplementary Irrigation for the Small Farmer Supplementary irrigation is the application of water to plants when natural precipitation is not adequate to secure crop production. Depending on the size of the farm and type of irrigation system, application of water is possible by using modern power sources from deep well pumps and by storage of large quantities of water in reservoirs, ponds, streams and rivers. City water is also often used directly by small farmers who use drip irrigation for their vegetable gardens.

SMALL FARMS | CROPS Drip irrigation, also called trickle or micro-irrigation, applies water slowly and directly to the roots of plants. In the Pacific Northwest it is common for vegetable farmers to use a solid set overhead sprinkler irrigation system while fruit growers use drip or trickle irrigation systems. Advantages of drip irrigation systems as compared to overhead sprinkler systems include reduced water use, reduced soil erosion, reduced fertilizer and pesticide runoff potentials, decreased disease, decreased water loss to evaporation, and decreased weed growth.

UNL Acreage & Small Farm Insights - eNewsletter Lots of indexed articles available online.

Irrigation Management for the Small Farm Irrigation management will help to increase productivity, lower costs and contribute to the health and value of the land. The lack of an irrigation management program will lead to increased costs and a degraded environment. Proper irrigation will maximize forage production while conserving water and reducing labor.

Factors to Consider in Selecting a Farm Irrigation System The majority of agricultural irrigation systems in Georgia fit into one of two broad categories: sprinkler irrigation and micro-irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation systems include center pivot, linear move, traveling gun, permanent set and solid set. Micro-irrigation systems include drip (or trickle) irrigation and micro-sprinklers. No one system is best for every application. Once you decide to install an irrigation system, you must consider several important factors before deciding which system is best for your situation.

No- till In nature there are laws that rule the diminishing productivity of soils, which have to be taken into account in agricultural and livestock production. Those who disrespect these laws are promoting the degradation of soils and the loss of soil productivity. To respect these laws is indispensable if we aim to obtain a sustainable agricultural production.

Frontiers in conservation tillage Control of soil erosion is still one of the main driving forces for no-tillage adoption. No technique yet devised by mankind has been anywhere near as effective as no-tillage at halting soil erosion and making food production truly sustainable (Baker et al., 1996). The long term gains from widespread conversion to no-tillage could be greater than from any other innovation in third world agricultural production (Warren, 1983).

ATTRA Organic Matters Series - Pursuing Conservation Tillage This publication takes a brief look at conservation tillage as it may be applied to organic cropping systems. A number of the most promising strategies and technologies are described, and abstracts of recent research are provided. The focus is on annual cropping systems. Both agronomic and vegetable cropping systems are discussed.

Making the Transition from Conventional to Organic Farming Using ... Organic farming is one of the fastest-growing segments of agriculture in the U.S. and in Florida. Making the transition from conventional (strip till using genetically modified crops) to organic farming does not have to be filled with obstacles. National Organic Standards can be found on the National Organic Program web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop . Even though there are many advantages to organic farming, it is a business and there are ways to get started that can ensure success. Organic farmers use only non-synthetic products for organic production. This is believed to assure environmental stewardship while offering food and fiber free of many chemicals that are commonly used in commercial food production. Organic growers usually receive a substantial premium for their products and have a unique niche market in many areas of the country. This transitioning does pose challenges to growers. The transition must be carried out correctly, or the consequences can negate the potential advantages of organic farming, making the operation much more difficult and in some cases unprofitable.

The role of animal traction in soil and water conservation tillage ... Animal traction refers to the use of animals for plowing, harrowing, ridging, carting, logging, pumping, threshing, planting and pulling sledges. In areas where insect pests and diseases do not prohibit herding of livestock, the incorporation of animals into the agricultural systems can help farmers in a many ways. Where motorized mechanized farm implements are unavailable or prohibitively expensive, animal traction is often the only alternative to back-breaking human labor. Beyond the energy they provide, farm animals can furnish organic fertilizer, milk, meat, skins and offspring. They can also become the source of additional income for many farmers through hiring of traction services, sale of milk, meat and other products. While this FAQ report refers to Africa, there may be something of value in it for all. See also: Suitable methods of tillage for the farm

NAQ, No. 38: Growing Mulch In Place Many New England vegetable growers use cover crops to protect their soil against erosion, control weeds, replenish soil organic matter and hold nutrients (Schonbeck 1988a, 1988b). Those who cannot afford to take land out of production for an entire season use winter annual crops such as rye (Secale cereale). Rye planted as late as October 15 in southern New England can suppress weeds, prevent erosion and produce ample organic matter by spring.

Increasing and maintaining soil organic content. Nature, if left to her choice, never allows bare, exposed soil. She prefers a continuous cover of diverse plants that are good for food, forage and thousands of other uses. If we overgraze or somehow destroy the good plants she then grows a less desirable plant. If we destroy or overgraze it she puts in it’s place a lesser plant until there is nothing growing except hard to control bitter, poisonous and thorny plants.

"Building Soils for Better Crops" unlocks the secret of maintaining a diverse ecosystem below ground to foster healthy crops above. Ecological soil management, as detailed by the soil experts who wrote the book, can raise fertility - and yields -while reducing environmental impacts. Building Soils contains detailed information about soil structure and the management practices that affect soils, as well as practical information like how to interpret soil test results.

"Managing Cover Crops Profitably" explores how and why cover crops work and provides all the information needed to build cover crops into any farming operation. This is the most comprehensive book ever published on the use of cover crops to sustain cropping systems and build soil.

Weed control demands time, labor and expense for every farmer every year. "Steel in the Field" shows how today's implements and techniques can control weeds while reducing - or eliminating - herbicides. In practical language, Steel presents what farmers and researchers have learned in the last 20 years about cutting weed-control costs through improved cultivation tools, cover crops and new cropping rotations.

Pumps 6 Types & Wooden Bearings Tests

Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch spotlights innovative, SARE-funded research into a range of conservation options including soil management, such as using compost, conservation tillage and cover crops; plant management, featuring crop rotation, water-conserving plants and rangeland drought mitigation; and water management strategies such as low-volume irrigation and water recycling.

Books:

The choice of tillage, rotation, and soil testing prac... Author: American Agricultural Economics Asso...; Buy New: $5.95

Today's tillage Author: Agra USA; Buy New: $5.95

Less Tillage, More Yield, Right Now. Author: Farm Journal Media; Buy New: $5.95

Low-till benefits Author: Farm Journal Media; Buy New: $5.95

Strip-Till Catches On. Author: Thomson Gale; Buy New: $5.95

New-Style Tillage Tools. Author: Farm Journal Media; Buy New: $5.95

World No-Till Trends. Author: Farm Journal Media; Buy New: $5.95

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