Appropriate Irrigation (PA Technology)

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Last modified by Axel Heinemann on 2014-11-10. This is a wiki so please feel free to update information by clicking on "Edit with form". | Printable version

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Name of technology example:		Type
Appropriate Irrigation		☑ Energy Efficiency ☐ Renewable Energy ☑ Alternative Methodology

Description	Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. Additionally, irrigation also has a few other uses in crop production, which include protecting plants against frost, suppressing weed growth in grain fields and preventing soil consolidation.In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed or dryland farming. Irrigation has been a central feature of agriculture for over 5000 years, and was the basis of the economy and society of numerous societies, ranging from Asia to Arizona. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrigation) Water scarcity in many regions demands appropriate irrigation systems. 1. Surface irrigation Running or impounding water over the surface and allowing it to saturate the soil to some depth; 2. Sprinkle irrigation Spraying water into the air and allowing it to fall on to plants and soil as simulated rainfall; 3. Drip irrigation Dripping water on to a fraction of the ground surface so as to infiltrate it into the root zone; 4. Subsurface exuders Introducing the water directly into the root zone by means of porous receptacles; 5. Subirrigation Raising the water-table from below (in places where the groundwater is shallow and controlable) so as to moisten the root zone by capillary action; (Source: http://www.fao.org/docrep/W3094E/w3094e05.htm)
Technology for the Application of	☐ Solar ☐ Biomass ☐ Biofuel ☐ Biogas ☐ Wind ☐ Geo-Thermal ☐ Hydro ☐ Energy Efficiency ☑ Other: Water efficiency
Primarily Relevant for the following Agricultural Value Chain Steps	☐ Mechanization ☐ Efficiency of Operation ☐ Processing ☐ Transportation ☐ Controlled Atmosphere ☐ Controlled Temperature ☐ Mechanical Sorting ☐ Preservation ☑ Other: Cultivation
Primarily Relevant for the following Agricultural Value Chain Activities	☐ Grinding ☐ Hauling and conveying ☐ Sorting ☐ Seedbed Preparation ☐ Milling ☐ Tearing ☐ Planting ☐ Washing ☐ Mixing ☐ Pumping ☐ Heating ☐ Drying ☑ Irrigation ☐ Cooling ☐ Animal feeding ☐ Fertilizing ☐ Venting ☐ Animal health and Welfare ☐ Pest Management ☐ Lighting ☐ Packing and branding ☐ Cutting ☐ Sanitation ☐ Other: /
Primarily Implemented in the following Commodity Groups	☑ Cereals ☑ Fruits and vegetables ☑ Nuts and berries ☑ Forage ☐ Dairy products ☐ Meat products ☑ Oil Seeds ☑ Roots and Tubers ☐ Eggs ☑ Pulses ☑ Fiber Crops ☑ Forestry ☑ Sugars ☑ Stimulants ☑ Spices ☐ Other: /
Region & Country of Development	None ☐ Africa ☐ South Asia ☐ East Asia & The Pacific ☐ Europe & Central Asia ☐ Latin America & The Caribbean ☐ Middle East & North Africa ☐ North America ☐ N/A: /
Region & Country of Current Deployment	None ☐ Africa ☐ South Asia ☐ East Asia & The Pacific ☐ Europe & Central Asia ☐ Latin America & The Caribbean ☐ Middle East & North Africa ☐ North America ☐ N/A: /
Region & Country of Potential Deployment	Worldwide ☑ Africa ☑ South Asia ☑ East Asia & The Pacific ☑ Europe & Central Asia ☑ Latin America & The Caribbean ☑ Middle East & North Africa ☑ North America ☐ N/A: /
Manufacturers
Economics
Technology Development Level	Well established regional and widespread use;
Required Maintenance Technical Level	Low: Technology to be maintained through its life cycle requires less common tools and/or training is required for maintenance;
Required Infrastructure for Deployment	Low: Technology can be developed with less common tools, low development level supporting technologies and moderately trained personnel;
Required Resources during manufacture	Ceramics, plastics, energy;
Required Resources during operation	Energy for pumping (in some cases only);
Deployment Level	Worldwide use but not very common;
Deployment Capability and Potential	The technology can be widely deployed limited only by education;
Requirements for Deployment	Education and training, establishing manufacturing and distribution structures;
Relevance for Autonomy and Food Security	High: can be operated with onsite renewables;
Environment Impacts (emissions)	Low: no direct emissions but indirect emissions;
Conformity with Bio- Cybernetic System Rules	High;
Additional information / Comments	No comments.
Internal Reference
Additional Links	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrigation http://www.fao.org/docrep/W3094E/w3094e05.htm http://www.fao.org/docrep/W7314E/w7314e01.htm#TopOfPage and the following pages http://www.appropriatetech.net/files/BUSINESS_SOLUTIONS_FOR_SMALL_SCALE_IRRIGATION_TECHNOLOGIES.pdf http://www.irrigation.org/uploadedFiles/Standards/BMPDesign-Install-Manage.3-18-14%282%29.pdf http://www.sswm.info/category/implementation-tools/water-use/hardware/optimisation-water-use-agriculture/drip-irrigation http://www.sswm.info/sites/default/files/reference_attachments/SHOCK%202006%20Drip%20Irrigation%20An%20Introduction.pdf http://www.sswm.info/sites/default/files/reference_attachments/SIJALI%202001%20Drip%20Irrigation%20Options%20for%20Smallholder%20Farmers%20in%20Eastern%20and%20Southern%20Africa.pdf http://www.infonet-biovision.org/default/ct/293/soilConservation http://www.ideorg.org/OurStory/Publications.aspx https://practicalaction.org/micro-irrigation

"Energy Efficiency, Alternative Methodology" is not in the list (Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Alternative Methodology) of allowed values for the "PAT Type" property.