A Sustainable Irrigation System for Small Landholdings of Rainfed Punjab, Pakistan

Marjan Aziz, Sultan Ahmad Rizvi, Muhammad Azhar Iqbal, Sairah Syed, Muhammad Ashraf, Saira Anwer, Muhammad Usman, Nazia Tahir, Azra Khan, Sana Asghar and Jamil Akhtar
Additional contact information
Marjan Aziz: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Barani Agricultural Research Institute, Chakwal 48800, Pakistan
Sultan Ahmad Rizvi: Water Conservation Division, Soil and Water Conservation Research Institute, Chakwal 48800, Pakistan
Muhammad Azhar Iqbal: Centre of Excellence for Olive Research and Training (CEFORT), Barani Agricultural Research Institute, Chakwal 48800, Pakistan
Sairah Syed: Department of Agronomy, Barani Agricultural Research Institute, Chakwal 48800, Pakistan
Muhammad Ashraf: Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Saira Anwer: Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46300, Pakistan
Muhammad Usman: Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46300, Pakistan
Nazia Tahir: Department of Agriculture, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
Azra Khan: Department of Agronomy, Soil and Water Conservation Research Institute, Chakwal 48800, Pakistan
Sana Asghar: Department of Horticulture, Horticultural Research Station, Sahiwal 57000, Pakistan
Jamil Akhtar: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Barani Agricultural Research Institute, Chakwal 48800, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: Drip irrigation has long been proven beneficial for fruit and vegetable crops in Pakistan, but the only barrier in its adoption is the high cost of installation for small landholders, which is due to overdesigning of the system. In the present study, the cost of a conventional drip irrigation system was reduced by redesigning and eliminating the heavy filtration system (i.e., hydrocyclon, sand media, disc filters (groundwater source), pressure gauges, water meters, and double laterals).Purchasing the drip system from local vendors also reduced the cost. Field trials were conducted during 2015 and 2016 to observe the productive and economic effects of low-cost drip irrigation on vegetables (potato, onion, and chilies) and fruits (olive, peach, and citrus). The low-cost drip irrigation system saved 50% cost of irrigation and increased 27–54% net revenue in comparison with the furrow irrigation system. Further, water use efficiency (WUE) was found from 3.91–13.30 kg/m 3 and 1.28–4.89 kg/m 3 for drip irrigation and furrow irrigation systems, respectively. The physical and chemical attributes of vegetables and fruits were also improved to a reasonably good extent. The present study concluded that low-cost drip irrigation increased the yield by more than 20%, as compared with traditional furrow irrigation, and thus, it is beneficial for the small landholders (i.e., less than 2 hectares).

Keywords: agricultural economy; drip irrigation system; net revenue; small landholders; sustainable irrigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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