Back to solutions
1 Jan 2020 | NEPCAT technologies

Low cost drip irrigation

1 min Read

70% Complete

An irrigation system which allows the slow and precise delivery of water to crops

Drip irrigation is a very water-efficient irrigation system. Water is dripped to individual plant root zones at low rates (2.25 l/hr) from emitters embedded in small diameter plastic pipes.

Farmers in the Jhikhu Khola watershed, Nepal, suffer from a shortage of water for irrigation between the end of one monsoon (June to September) and the next pre-monsoon period (May). This seriously limits agricultural production and leads to much land being left fallow after the monsoon crops have been harvested. Only a small area is planted with winter crops. The sources of irrigation water (such as rivers, and streams) are limited and the amount of water they provide is inadequate for cropping. Most of the sources remain dry outside the monsoon. Farmers expend considerable time and labour gathering what water they can to irrigate their crops. Low cost drip irrigation (LCDI) has been introduced in the watershed as a cost effective way of making the best use of the limited available water.


light green: districts in 2007

WOCAT database reference: QT NEP6

Location: Kubinde village, Jhikhu Khola watershed, Kabhrepalanchok district

Technology area: ~ 0.1 km2

SWC measure: Management

Land use: Annual cropping

Climate: Humid subtropical

Related approach: Participatory action research for drip irrigation, QA NEP6

Compiled by: Madhav Dhakal, ICIMOD

Date: August 2004, updated December 2005

Download PDF

 

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
No-till garlic cultivation

No-till is a farming system in which the seeds are planted directly into untilled soil which still contains the previous ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
A low-cost polyhouse for tomato production in the rainy season

Smallholder farmers can use polyhouses to produce high demand vegetables, such as tomatoes, and can earn a substantial income from ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Sustainable land management using controlled gullying in ‘jagidol’ areas

An indigenous technology to help control channelled water during the rainy season and conserve it during the dry season For more ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

A method for increasing the productivity of rice by changing the management of plants, soil, water, and nutrients The System of ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Improved farmyard manure through sunlight, rain and runoff protection

Improving farmyard manure by protecting it from direct sunlight, rainfall, and runoff to reduce volatilisation and leaching Farmyard manure is the ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Tomato grafting

Cleft grafting can be used to produce plants that are resistant to a number of pests and diseases and are ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Polypit nursery

A simple, inexpensive and practical method for raising healthy plant seedlings During the winter in Nepal’s middle mountains, the soil temperature ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Contour bunding

A traditional low-cost method of soil conservation suitable for sloping land; it promotes water retention and helps prevent erosion. Contour bunding ...