Boosting crop productivity leveraging Precision Irrigation

The notion that water is plentiful — it covers 70% of the planet — is false, as only 2.5% of all water is freshwater. This limited resource will need to support a projected population of 9.7 billion in 2050; and by that date, an estimated 3.9 billion — or over 40% of the world’s population — will live in severely water-stressed river basins as indicated in a World Bank Report.

In addition to this, the Day Zero concept in Cape Town, described as the moment at which most of the city’s domestic taps will run dry speaks volume of the growing water crisis and stress in Sub Saharan Africa characterized by drought and water shortage.

Between now and 2050, water demands are expected to increase by 400% from Agriculture, and by 130% from household use and as water availability decreases, competition for access to this limited resource will also increase.

Suffice to say that Nigerian Agriculture is not living up to its potential. Currently, only 1 percent of Nigerian cropland is irrigated, meaning most farmers can cultivate their fields only during the rainy season. This also leaves farmers and food-insecure populations vulnerable to the changing and unpredictable climate.

The attendant effect of water shortage and dependence on rain-fed agriculture is especially about how it decimates farmer’s yield and how it plunges farmers into losses and bankruptcy leading to abandonment of farm fields and many times, abandonment of Agriculture entirely.

As global demand for food grows and accessible freshwater resources continue to shrink, precision irrigation technology is helping farmers to save water while increasing productivity. The term precision irrigation can often refer to drip irrigation, however it can also include other tools such as variable rate application, sensors, and data from irrigation flow meters that help farmers reduce water waste. Essentially, precision irrigation is concerned with optimizing irrigation across an entire field.

CropIT, an agritech company driving innovative technology adoption in Nigeria’s Agriculture sector works with leading irrigation providers like Netafim and Valley Irrigation companies to provide innovative irrigation services including and not limited to:

Drip Irrigation

As the name implies, this irrigation system works by dripping water slowly into the area where water is needed. It utilizes a network of pipes connected to a water supply and a set of special drippers that are connected to the pipes.

A major benefit of drip irrigation systems is that the plants’ root system is watered directly, thus, minimizing the amount of water being wasted. Drip irrigation is not only important to water the rice plants, but it is also critical to use it for fertilization.

With drip irrigation, plants can absorb water and nutrients without any risk of downward seepage of nitrates from fertilizers into the groundwater and surrounding environments — thus reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.

Drip irrigated rice not only curbs greenhouse gas production and conserve water, it can also lead to higher yields. In trials done by Netafim on drip irrigated rice in India, farmers reported almost 20–25% higher yield compared to traditional methods.

Centre Pivot Irrigation:

A center pivot irrigation system is self-propelled and works with the use of a central pipe with outlets rotating around a central pivot point. It works like the sprinkler irrigation system, but it is much bigger and is supported by steel or aluminum towers. With this irrigation system, water is distributed evenly.

The main reasons for the rapid adoption of the centre pivot system are low cost per hectare, low labor and energy requirements, ease of operation, high application and distribution efficiencies and the prospect of increasing or maintaining yields while using less water. Although used mainly by large-scale growers, centre pivot irrigation has also proved suitable for small-scale farmers in organized associations.

As much as irrigation decreases the risk of low yields, climate still has an important effect on cane and rice yields, and the eventual profits realised by growers.

Check out the catalogue of Netafim and Valley irrigation and feel free to request for a quote.