Bucket / Farm kits and Drum systems
Buckets kits
In bucket kit drip irrigation, water flows into the drip lines from a bucket reservoir placed 0.5–1 m above the ground to provide the required water pressure. The efficient use of water that is possible with drip irrigation enables a farmer to grow vegetables using 30–60 litres of water daily during the crop growing season. The average cost of a bucket kit is US$15.
Farm kits
In farm kit drip irrigation, water is connected directly to a pressurized water supply. This water supply could be pumped or gravity fed. The minimum pressure required is usually a 5-m head (0.5 bar). Water flows through a screen filter into a submain pipe then flows into the drip lines. The irrigated area can vary from 500 m2 to more than 10,000 m2. Several small kit systems can be laid out on a farm to cover a larger area. The drip tapes are placed on a prepared soil surface and plants are planted near the drip outlets to receive maximum benefit. The average cost of a farm kit is US$ 200 for a system covering 500 m2.
Drum systems
Drum systems operate under a low pressure head of water (0.5–5 m). Mounting the drums on block supports raised at least 1 m above the planting surface is recommended. The higher the drum is placed the greater the area that can be irrigated. An area of up to 1,000 m2 can be covered by a drum system. The main advantage of drum systems is the bigger area that can be covered compared to the bucket system. This presents an economic advantage because of the number of plants per drum system.
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Manuals, videos and links
- Large wiki on water use for agriculture: Agropedia
- Water-Smart Agriculture in East Africa, a collaborative effort by CARE, GWI, IWMI, and CGIAR. A 321-page sourcebook for improving water management for smallholder farmers.
Acknowledgements
- Sijali, Isaya V. DRIP IRRIGATION: Options for smallholder farmers in eastern and southern Africa. RELMA, 2001.
