Self Mulching Effect of Dune Sand Small Scale Water Infrastructure
$ 45.5
Description
Agriculture consumes about 70 % of the developed fresh water in the world. It is possible to reduce the amount of additional fresh water withdrawals by 40 % if water saving techniques are improved. As the water crisis continues to manifest itself, planners and policy makers will continue to be faced by gaps between supply and demand for water and ultimately food. There is, therefore the need to improve water saving techniques to ensure adequate food for future generations with same or less amount of water than the amount of water that is presently available for agriculture. Surface drip irrigation is the most effective way to supply water and nutrients to the plant and does not only save water but also increases yield of crops. However, irrigation water loss by soil evaporation is inevitable under surface drip irrigation. This study, therefore, attempted to reduce soil evaporation thus improving irrigation water saving through a combination of surface drip irrigation and sand mulch on drip lines. Sand soil was used since it is a readily available material, especially in the sand dune soil areas.