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Roles of Irrigation in Agriculture!

Agriculture is backbone of society. For healthy crop timely and sufficient irrigation is necessary. Irrigation is the most important and plays a crucial role in achieving Sustainable Agriculture. As our India, Monsoon Dependent country and there is a need for Irrigation for Agricultural Production and Sustainability. Therefore, lets explore the roles of irrigation in agriculture.

It has been observed that drought prone areas where no agriculture is possible in dry areas and farmers are not able to earn from their field due to lack of irrigation or water. In irrigated areas farmers usually takes crop for two or three times in a year and earn good amount. They use this earning for next year’s farming. The cycle of prosperity run. In lack of irrigation areas cycle if poverty run which leads to migration, crime and more poverty. So irrigation plays direct role in agriculture and prosperity.

Roles Of Irrigation In Indian Agriculture To provide the water need of crops To support the Farmers Need of the dams and water storage structures Need of Conservation of Water for future generations Historical Significance of Agriculture and Irrigation To generate the employability options in Irrigation and Agriculture Sectors Indian Agricultural lands are still dependent on direct rainfall as the means of irrigation are rarely employed by farmers. The dismal part of Indian Agriculture is that the farmers with small landholdings are not financially capable to purchase Irrigation tools.

Irrigation refers to the artificial application of water to soil as well as land and is provided for-

Growing agricultural crops

Landscape maintenance

Revegetation of disturbed soils owing to drying/inadequate rainfall.

Protecting plants from frost.

Suppressing weed growth

Preventing soil consolidation.

Suppression of dust

Sewage disposal.

Mining.

Irrigation is often studied along with drainage. In few cases, Irrigation, when employed in the context of Indian agriculture, can help in all the above activities and can certainly allow for better productivity and profits for the farming community.

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Discuss The Modern Methods Of Irrigation!

Irrigation is defined as the carefully controlled process of watering agricultural crops through artificial means in order to facilitate their growth and development. Now you will see that we have mentioned the phrase ‘carefully controlled’ in the definition and are probably wondering what means.

Well, the whole process of irrigation is strictly controlled. The farmer must determine the exact amount of water required by the crop. Too little water will dry out the plants, whereas too much water may damage the root. In addition to watering the crops, irrigation also entails watering the lands before planting seeds to create a favorable habitat for crops. It also needs to be done carefully. Thus, irrigation is a much more complicated process than just watering plants.

Modern Methods Of Irrigation

The methods of irrigation can be divided into four main types. These include – Surface irrigation, sprinkler, drip, and subsurface. These modern irrigation techniques have been discussed in detail below –

Surface irrigation – It is one of the most common methods of irrigation. Here water is applied to the soil with the help of gravity. Since the distribution of water is not regulated, surface irrigation is also known as flood irrigation. This irrigation system is further classified as follows –

Furrow – In the case of furrow irrigation, water is made to flow through shallow channels which are evenly spaced out and at a slope to the field. The water in these shallow channels is supplied through a variety of ways such as siphon, main ditch, gated pipe, etc.

Inflow rate, soil infiltration, slope and shape of furrows, and surface roughness determine the speed of the water. It requires less capital investment, but it is one of the most labor-intensive methods of irrigation.

2. Basin and border irrigation – Both of these techniques involve water running through the soil. However, in basin irrigation, water is supplied to a field which may result in ponding for a while. on the other hand, water is made to flow through ditches running through the ground with a drainage system at the end.

Sprinkler Systems: Water droplets are sprayed or sprinkled like raindrops over the landscape through rotating nozzles connected to pipelines. The pipelines are connected perpendicular to the main pipeline laid in the field.

Useful for sandy soil and uneven land

Protects plants/crops from extreme frost or temperature

Fertilizer and insecticide can be applied through a sprinkler system

Helps with soil conservation

Drip System: Water flows through narrow pipes laid on the fields and drips through small holes (emitters) directly at the place of plant roots. Roots absorb the water and nourish the plant. There is no water waste with this method, as less water is lost to evaporation, runoff, and wind.

Optimizes soil moisture, saving water

Direct hydration of plant roots for plant health

Inhibits weed growth since water is applied directly to plants, not spread around the field

Bacterial growth is limited since the area near plants is dry

Center -Pivot Irrigation:

In center-pivot irrigation equipment is used which has many sprinklers aligned in an overhead line and the combination rotates around a pivot.

Center-pivot irrigation uses less labor than many other surface irrigation methods, such as furrow irrigation.

It also has lower labor costs than ground-irrigation techniques that require digging of channels.

Center-pivot irrigation can reduce the amount of soil tillage.

Therefore, it helps reduce water runoff and soil erosion that can occur with ground irrigation

If you want to set irrigation systems, you need graphs for the irrigation systems. Dripwala is an application that can solve your problem.

For detailed information visit: https://dripwala.com/

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Effects Of Over-Irrigation & Preventive Measures!

Introduction Of Over Irrigation:

Over irrigation means the artificial application of excessive water to land to assist in the production of crops. It is mainly done where there are drylands. It leads to dampness and sanity of soil.

For most crops, growers want to avoid drought stress throughout the growing season because it can quickly reduce yield and lead to a misshapen, undersized, and prematurely ripened crop. Applying “a little extra” is seen as easy insurance against these problems and makes good sense, since it may also provide a time buffer if the next irrigation must be delayed because of a breakdown or a suddenly required chemical application.

“A little extra” turns into “too much” when the irrigation increases soil moisture in the active root zone above field capacity. Soil can store water for crop use, and field capacity is the upper limit of this storage. Any additional water applied beyond this limit begins to immediately drain by gravity out of the root zone, lost for crop use, and leaching valuable nitrogen.

Soil Type Plays A Role

If the soil is well-drained, this will happen rapidly, and the main losses are water and nutrients. In slowly draining soils, the excess moisture can cause low-oxygen or even saturated conditions. Depending on how severe the waterlogging becomes and how long it persists, the uptake of water and nutrients by the roots is slowed down and the productivity of the canopy is reduced. Waterlogging for more than two days during the growing season will outright kill at least some of the roots.

What Are Some Other Consequences Of Over-Irrigation?

Apart from increased salinity and crossing the field capacity threshold, here are additional adverse effects of over-irrigation.

1. Rising weed pressure

2. Lowered yield

3. Higher pumping costs

4. Water loss

5. Nitrogen loss due to denitrification and leaching

Many diseases (e.g., phytophthora crown and root rot and armillaria root rot) can shorten plant lifespans and reduce tree vigor.

5 Tips For Water Saving Irrigation

1. Mulch Trees and Garden Beds In addition to beautifying the land, mulch provides numerous services, from managing weeds to controlling soil erosion. When it comes to water, mulch reduces evaporation and works to retain soil moisture. Wood, pine straw, and other plant-based mulches also add organic material to the garden over time, which help improve the water-holding capacity of soils.

2. Water Deeply, Not Frequently Think slow and deep when irrigating lands. When water is applied too quickly, much is lost to runoff. Irrigating slowly allows water to soak into the ground. Drip irrigation is excellent for this purpose, but lowering the water flow to sprinklers also works. Allow irrigation to run long enough to wet soils to a depth of six inches. Deep irrigation encourages healthier root systems. Watering too frequently and too shallow encourages shallow root systems that are more susceptible to drought. Reduce the frequency of watering, allowing soils to dry between watering. Finally, adjust irrigation according to plant age. Older plants have deeper, more extensive root systems and often require less frequent irrigation.

3. Use Pressure Regulation

Pressure regulation helps ensure that sprinklers are operating at the optimal level. When pressure is too high, water droplets atomize, which results in significant amounts of water being carried off-site by wind drift. By reducing the operating pressure, the water drops are larger and heavier and are more likely to land where intended.

4. Maintain Sprinklers and Irrigation Systems We all know how much water a leaking toilet can waste. In the landscape, leaky faucets and broken sprinkler heads can also waste huge amounts of water. Taking time to periodically check irrigation equipment and connections can save a lot of money on your water bill. Look for leaks and broken, buried, or jammed sprinkler heads. Traditional hose connections at the faucet and sprinkler can also leak and are easily repaired.

5. Get Smart Technology If you are using an irrigation system, consider upgrading to a “smart” controller or installing a rain sensor. Smart water controllers measure weather and soil moisture conditions to automatically adjust watering schedules according to landscape conditions. Rain sensors are inexpensive and can be retrofitted to most irrigations systems. Adjust irrigation systems for current conditions. Try to avoid the habit of “set it and forget it,” as the plant needs to change throughout the year.

Whether you are tech-savvy or traditional, these simple management practices will save you money in maintenance, while conserving and protecting this finite resource.

Water Flow Meters: Water flow meters can accurately measure how much water is being used to irrigate so that water use can be precisely managed and unnecessary watering can be avoided.

Soil sensors: Soil sensors can help farmers understand the condition of roots to suggest when it is time to irrigate or when the plant’s thirst is quenched to prevent wasting water

Irrigation Management Mobile Apps: Mobile apps that can assist farmers with irrigation management are continuously improving. enabling farmers to quickly adjust their irrigation based on changing conditions.

For easy installation of irrigation systems, install Dripwala App! Go with the new techniques for better results in farming with saving natural resources.

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Drip Irrigation Scenario In India!

Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the ground surface or buried below the surface. The purpose is to place water directly into the root zone to minimize evaporation. Micro-irrigation should implement on a large basis as we know environmental conditions and water scarcity in India.

To achieve sustainability in Indian agriculture, the importance of micro-irrigation is quite evident and significant. But it’s a long way ahead and requires extensive demonstrations, training, and awareness programs. So that it will bring the Indian farming community abreast with micro-irrigation practices.

Environmental Benefits Of Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation is a type of irrigation that utilizes a pressurized or non-pressurized system of pipes that delivers a set amount of water to the base of the crop which is directly used by the plant’s roots.

Some major benefits of Irrigation systems:

Water Conservation– Drip irrigation has the highest irrigation efficiency of all the irrigation methods.

Low to Nil Soil Erosion– Because water delivered using pipes.

Reduced risk of water contamination– Flooding and other irrigation techniques can cause algal bloom if fertilizers escape from the field to nearby watersheds.

Why Irrigation Is Not Gaining Popularity In India?

A study shows many farmers prefer unsubsidized, cheaper drip irrigation systems even if they can avail the subsidy for high-quality ones. In that study, Maharashtra’s Twenty farmers who use drip irrigation were interviewed with some local bureaucrats, retailers, and manufacturers. It concluded growing vegetables such as tomatoes or onions can cost farmers ₹80,000–85,000 per hectare with an unsubsidized high-quality drip irrigation system. But this cost goes down to ₹24,000–30,000 with a low-quality system.

Before 2012 farmers has paid only the part of the purchase of irrigation set because of subsidies from the government and the rest amount given to the manufacturing companies from the government.

But these payments often got delayed due to various reasons, hence manufacturing companies raised the prices of irrigation sets. To overcome this situation government came up with a solution as, farmers now had to bear the full cost of the set, with subsidy payments paid later on into their bank account. Read More

Challenges For Adopting Micro Irrigation:

Inadequate water availability at farm level.

Non-availability of uninterrupted electric power.

Inadequate focus on nationwide micro-irrigation technology.

It has a high cost of installation and maintenance, plus complicated procedures to redeem subsidies provided by the government for installation of Micro Irrigation.

Read More

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7 Best Side Businesses Along With Farming!

The Need For Side Business Along With Farming Or Agricultural Business!

Side businesses along with farming is now the new need of farmers. Farmers life in India is not easy being an agricultural hub. Problems like drought or floods that destroys their crops, subsidy issues, transportation problems etc. The most important problem is money. As 60% of farmers can not sustain with the earning from farming only. So to fulfill their needs they have to find something to support them financially.

Agriculture in India is leading to a crisis situation. In recent years, the rate of agricultural output is seen to be declining. Also the relative contribution o agriculture to the GDP was also declining.

India is moving towards a point of no return, from being a self-reliant nation of food surplus to a net importer of food. This conclude that India is facing a crisis today in agriculture sector. This is because the shift from agriculture to other enterprises as it seems to be more profitable sector. Its because the income from agriculture sector is not sufficient enough to meet the expenses for the process of cultivation.

Crisis In Agricultural Sector:

According to the Economic Times in India, more than 80% of India’s farmers work in less than 5 acres of land. Small farmers contribute around 50% of agricultural input. Small farmers are the vital element of  the agricultural industry. Despite this, farming remains an unstable and difficult profession. That’s why to tackle the financial crisis farmers have to find a helping hand in the form of side business.

Production problems lead to low quality of farmers life. The reasons for farmer debts are  increased cost of cultivation, inadequate irrigation, drought, flood and crop failure. Additionally, difficulty in selling within the market can make or break the income of a farmer. Agricultural costs and unstable incomes leads many farmers to take on even more debt. Furthermore, money-lending due to necessity and often the inability to pay back loans, have pushed farmers further into poverty and debt.

Debts: As the Economic Times in India stated, only about 50% or less of the household income of a farming family comes from farming, while the rest comes from other sources. The rising costs of farming whereas low pricing for farm produce have pushed many farmers into a cycle of vicious debts. Therefore, farmers have to find some other side businesses along with farming.

Side Businesses Along With Farming:

1. Fruit Canning and Jam Production Business: If farmers cultivate fruits then they can sell them to food companies and also to consumers directly. You can make jam or jelly with these fruits. Also, fruit juice can be sold at various markets.

2. Spice Production Business: Farmers can also do spice production business along with farming, and in this way they can earn really good profits by selling spices in the market. This is a very good business for small farmers.

3. Soy Production Business: Soy is used in making many types of products. If you start this business then you can sell its products to various companies. This business will make you earn very good profits.

https://dripwala.com/index.php/2021/10/13/side-businesses-along-with-farming/

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Area Calculation Or Plot Survey: New Feature Of Dripwala!

Area calculation or plot survey is most commonly used in day-to-day life for many people. People who are working in the field where you deal with your customer’s data about measuring their area, and later you will work on that data or submit that data for any purpose like government details. This feature will surely help you! Let’s recollect how much money and time you spend on this whole process? If your one client is at 20 km, and the second client is in opposite direction and is also around 10-20 km. Therefore analyze your traveling expense. In addition to that, do not forget how much time it will take to do just 2 customers. Survey engineers or Irrigation Engineers decide what is the position for the pump, filtration tank, or other accessories. They need any tool which can do it fast and in an easy way. In conclusion, this will benefit you with easy processing. Now imagine if you are sitting in your shop and measuring your customer’s plots within 2 mins and with accuracy. Area calculation or plot survey is the need of the market and Dripwala is trying to fulfill it.

Benefits Of Area Calculation Or Plot Survey:

Saves Money- All the traveling expenses required for physically visit the place are saved, and the tools required for your area calculation are not needed now.

Saves Time- This saves the time required for physically visiting the plot.

Fast Process: You can select the map and add the corner points of the plot and you will see the final output of the area.

Easy Information Saving and Transfer: You can easily save all the area you have measured. In “Saved Survey” you can see all the past records you have saved.

Speed of Process: It’s soo fast and accurate that within 2 mins you can measure any kind of shape or plot.

Features Of Area Calculation Or Plot Survey:

Free area calculation: Area Calculation or plot survey is absolutely FREE to use. Also, you can do unlimited surveys with Dripwala.

Use Satellite Map: Satellite maps gives you fast operating and accurate measurements. Through satellite maps you can select any portion and measure its area without visiting that plot.

High accuracy: It gives you highly accurate measurements. Also it depends on how you select the corner points. But its easy to deselect or edit the selected points and correct your plot dimensions.

Latitude & longitude: This feature not only deals in area, but also gives you latitude and longitude of the plot.

Data in various units- People measure distance or area in various units. Therefore we provide it with most commonly known units of area measurements, like Square Meter, Square Feet, Bigha, Guntha, Acre, Hectare, Are, Square yard, etc.

Who All Will Be Benefited:

People from the following industries are our prime users for this feature. Such as,

Civil Engineers,

Irrigation Engineers,

Irrigation vendors or dealers,

Interior Decorators,

Property Dealers,

Architectures,

Survey Engineers,

Mechanical Engineers,

Government Officials etc.

Those who deal in area calculation are spending a lot of money on traveling. In conclusion, Dripwala and its new feature save this money. Now it is on Play Store, launching soon for other systems.

Experience it, and measure your plots, Here.

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PMFBY – Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana Crop Insurance!

WHAT IS THE PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA (PMFBY)

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, New Delhi launched PMFBY from the Kharif 2016 season onwards. It replaces all the prevailing yield insurance schemes in India. The scheme has extended coverage under localized risks, post-harvest losses, etc., and aims at the adoption of technology for the purpose of yield estimation. Through increased farmer awareness and low farmer premium rates, the scheme aims at increasing crop insurance penetration in India. National Insurance Company started participating in PMFBY from Rabi 2016 onwards and covered 8 States and 2 Union Territories during the past 5 seasons namely, Rabi 2016-17, Kharif & Rabi 2017 and Kharif & Rabi 2018 covering 70,27,637 farmers. The claims of Kharif 18 and Rabi 18 are under process, we have closed the first 3 seasons with which 17,66,455 no of farmers benefited, which shows almost 50% of the farmers insured were benefitted. For Revised Operational Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, New Delhi visit: www.pmfby.gov.in.

There are Two Schemes under the said operational Guidelines. 1. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) – Elaborated hereunder. 2. Revised Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) – Please refer to PMFBY website for details.

Objective Of PMFBY:

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) aims at supporting sustainable production in the agriculture sector by way of a) Providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising because of natural calamities, pests & diseases. b) Stabilizing the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming c) Encouraging farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices d) Ensuring the flow of credit to the agriculture sector; which will contribute to food security, crop diversification, and enhancing growth and competitiveness of the agriculture sector besides protecting farmers from production risks.

Highlights Of The Scheme:

There is a uniform premium of only 2% for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops., that farmers will pay In the case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, the premium to be paid by farmers will be only 5%. The premium rates paid by farmers are very low. In addition the balance premium will be paid by the Government to provide the full insured amount to the farmers against crop loss on account of natural calamities.

There is no upper limit on Government subsidies. Even if the balance premium is 90%, its carried by the Government.

Earlier, there was a provision of capping the premium rate which resulted in low claims being paid to farmers. This capping was done to limit Government’s outgo on the premium subsidy. This capping has now been removed and farmers will get a claim against the full sum insured without any reduction.

This will encourage use of technology to a great extent. Smartphones will be used to capture and upload data of crop cutting to reduce the delays in claim payments to farmers. Remote sensing will be used to reduce the number of crop-cutting experiments.

PMFBY is a replacement scheme of NAIS / MNAIS, there will be an exemption from Service Tax liability of all the services involved in the implementation of the scheme. It is estimated that the new scheme will ensure about 75-80 percent of subsidy for the farmers in insurance premium.

Coverage Of Risks And Exclusions Under PMFBY Scheme:

Following stages of the crop risks leading to crop loss covered under the Scheme. No other risk other than mentioned below is permitted by the state government.

Prevented Sowing/Planting/Germination Risk: The insured area prevents sowing/planting/germination due to deficit rainfall or adverse seasonal/weather conditions. 25% of the sum insured will pay and the Policy terminates.

Standing Crop (Sowing to Harvesting): Comprehensive risk insurance is provided to cover yield losses due to non-preventable risks, viz. Drought, Dry spell, Flood, Inundation, widespread Pests and Disease attack, Landslides, Fire due to natural causes, Lightning, Storm, Hailstorm, and Cyclone.

Post-Harvest Losses: Coverage is available only up to a maximum period of two weeks from harvesting. For those crops which require to be dried and spread in the small bundled condition in the field after harvesting against specific perils of Hailstorm, Cyclone, Cyclonic rains, and Unseasonal rains.

Localized Calamities: Loss/damage to notified insured crops resulting from the occurrence of identified localized risks of Hailstorm, Landslide, Inundation, Cloud burst and Natural fire due to lightening affecting isolated farms in the notified area.

Add-on coverage for crop loss due to attack by wild animals: The States may consider providing add-on coverage for crop loss. It is due to attack by wild animals wherever the risk is perceived to be substantial and is identifiable.

General Exclusions: Losses arising out of war and nuclear risks, malicious damage, and other preventable risks.

Questions From People:

1. Who can be covered? All farmers who have been sanctioned Seasonal Agricultural Operations (SAO) loans (Crop Loans) from Financial Institutions (FIs), i.e. Loanee farmers, for the notified crop(s) season would be covered compulsorily.

The Scheme is optional for non-Loanee farmers.

(The insurance coverage will strictly be equivalent to sum insured/hectare, as defined in the Govt. notification or /and on National Crop Insurance Portal multiplied by sown area for the notified crop.) 2. How to enroll the farmers in the Scheme? Both Loanee and Non-Loanee farmers are to be enrolled in the National Crop Insurance Portal(NCIP) belong to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, New Delhi. Banks who are lending Seasonal Crop Loans to the farmers are responsible to upload the data in the NCIP

In the case of Non-loanee farmers, Intermediaries, Common Service Centers (CSCs), farmers on their own and other Agencies are to upload the data in the NCIP, along with uploading 4 documents.

The premium must be paid by way of NEFT only and DD or Cheques are not accepted. Similarly offline applications for enrollment are not accepted as every application needs to be filled in online.

3. Coverage of Crops

Food crops (Cereals, Millets, and Pulses),

Oilseeds

Annual Commercial / Annual Horticultural crops.

In addition for perennial crops, pilots for coverage can be taken for those perennial horticultural crops for which standard methodology for yield estimation is available.

How To Apply:

Farmers can apply online for Crop Insurance at Click Here To calculate the insurance premium payable, Click Here

How to report crop loss and claim insurance The farmer can report crop loss within 72 hours of the occurrence of any event through the Crop Insurance App, CSC Centre, or the nearest agriculture officer. Claim benefit is then provided electronically into the bank accounts of the eligible farmer.

Read More: https://dripwala.com/index.php/2021/09/16/pradhan-mantri-fasal-bima-yojana-pmfby-crop-insurance/

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Corporate Farming In India: Is It Boosting Agricultural Sector?

Introduction Of Corporate Or Contract Farming:

India and the agriculture sector, it is the unconditional bond that can not be separated and should not. The agricultural sector plays a vital role in Gross Domestic Product and provides bread and butter for millions of people in the country in various ways.

However, it has been observed that farmers are distancing themselves from farming due to numerous problems, less income, uncertain weather conditions, new farming rules, etc. They are looking for other opportunities. This will result in huge migration from village to cities. Also, farmers are more into making quick money by offering their lands on a contract basis. But they are not taking it seriously how it can be creating few serious issues. Is it true that Contract farming/ Corporate farming will be dangerous for many people who are related to the agriculture sector? Let’s have a look at it.

Corporate Farming Or Contract Farming:

Corporate farming is the term that describes the business of agriculture, specifically, what is seen by some as the practices of would-be mega-corporations involved in food production on a very large scale. This is a system for the production and supply of agricultural/horticultural produce under forwarding contracts between producer/supplier and buyer. Essential to this is the commitment of the producer/seller to provide an agricultural/horticultural commodity of a certain type, at a specified time, at a specific price with the required quantity and quality by a known and committed buyer.

Reasons for Corporative farming or Contract Farming:

Consolidation of small farmlands into larger landholdings.

Increase in agricultural productivity.

Introduction of value-added products.

The farmer/ producer will be required to plant the contractor’s crop on his land, harvest, and deliver a quantum of produce (based on anticipated yield) to the contractor.

Land and labor availability is farmer’s job. The contractor shall supply all required inputs for the production of the desired crop.

Corporate Farming Benefits:

Corporate farming will have the advantage of modern management, up-to-date technology combined with the experience of farmers and most importantly the availability of funds. Apart from this, marketing plus good logistics management and establishment of cold chain will ensure healthy cash flow. The availability of modern farming methods and equipment will help to control use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides which is a growing menace. Organic farming can be undertaken alongside regular farming. In addition to major advantages of corporate farming will be reaped in production and marketing, whilst the prevailing tax exemptions on agricultural Income will certainly promote excellent CASH-FLOW. The availability of funds at reasonable Internet rates and the subsequent cashflows will help to develop adequate reserves for expansion without further borrowings, and also develop a zero debt organization in a short time

Problems In Corporate Or Contract Farming:

If so many things are good about Corporate farming then why it is not on large scale in India? The actual scenario in India is a little different. Corporate farming has many benefits but after few examples, farmers are a little hesitant and worried about the corporate farming concept. The first picture about Corporate farming was like thousands of farmers will come together and work with better efficiency. Also they will be provided with the highly equipped technologies. But on ground levels, lots of dues, payment delays, quality measures changes at the end of receiving the products such problems created doubts in farmers minds.  Therefore a good strategy couldn’t work well in India till now. Let’s see other reasons why the farmer is little hesitant about corporate farming.

Risk Of Monopolistic Economy:

Corporate farming encourages large companies to get involved in the food production business. This will promote monopoly or oligopoly in the markets by concentrating on production capacity and power and creating flaws in the existing system of market forces. Corporate farming is not as easy and pleasant as it seems. Although it has numerous benefits, its negative consequences have far-reaching effects in the long term. The short-sightedness of the government to reap benefits in the present can lead to economic disparity in the future. It also willingly invites intrusion from strong foreign corporates to interfere with the economic and agricultural situation of a country. In other words, there will be a focus on profit maximization neglecting sensitivity to the demands of the people. Therefore, this may mark the onset of a severe global food crisis. For instance, it can be a great way of using agribusiness with the help of Contract farming. But corporate farming should not be done for making it fully commercial purpose.

Higher Environmental Costs:

Technology always results in faster processes, it is true in food production as well. But it has created an impact on the environment with mechanization that is hard to cope up. In addition, it can be harmful to the natural and biological processes of the environment. Moreover, corporate farming may soon be a threat to the water bodies that will quickly dry up from excess irrigation, polluting of fisheries by disposal of chemical wastes, depletion of oxygen in the atmosphere, and increasing threat to all those engaged in agriculture. Also, it pollutes the soil and does not care about animal health.

Reduced Nutrition Values:

It also compromises the nutritional value of food by using high amounts of insecticides and pesticides to prevent damage to crops. They blindly use food additives, coloring agents, chemicals, and hormone injection to speed up the process of crop maturity.  However, organically grown crops have higher nutritional value than genetically grown crops. After that, this has been raised as a critical point in political and economic debates.

Few examples have shown that farmer’s fear is acceptable.  Lays, Amul is one of those examples. Corporate/contract farming is creating problems in few areas.

How It Should Be Done?

Corporate farming is good for two things: It brings money to corporations and makes most of the land. So for locations where food is scarce and needs massive operations to run (like Irrigation), it makes sense. Where not, it will suck the soil empty and move on – corporations need huge profits, much higher than family farming. In conclusion from our observation, the best results are where the mass of small and medium farmers join in co-op and do it together, then it can be done professionally, but still has to do with proper care.

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Farmers’ Protest – Kisan Andolan! The Unspoken Truth!

Farmers' Protest - Kisan Andolan

Since 26 November 2019, thousands of farmers are protesting at several Delhi border points under Farmers’ Protest or Kisan Andolan.  These farmers are protesting against the new farm laws implemented by the Centre recently, — Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Let us discuss the three laws and what was the conflict between the government’s argument and farmer’s assumptions.

Farm Laws That Have Created Chaos!

1. Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020. : This particular bill allows farmers to sell their produce outside APMC Mandis. Mind you it doesn’t restrict farmers to sell at the existing Mandis nor it says of disbanding the Existing Mandi System. Government’s Argument: Since the existing system doesn’t confine farmers to sell their products at existing Mandis, no farmers will be repulsed from continuing their trade with the existing System. Along with, it’ll pave a way for farmers to sell their products directly at the market or to any industry at a higher price through competitive bargain and thereby will increase their income to a great extend.

2. Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020: This mentioned bill allows farmers to go for contract farming meaning a pre-agreement between buyer and seller (farmers ) before production about quantity, quality, and price.

Government Argument: Although MSP has been increased over these years, amply, it was not sufficient/ can’t be sufficient to improve the condition of farmers significantly due to APMC System which is legislated by respective State governments (who allegedly charges brokerage from Farmers).

This bill will allow farmers to go into a contract with potential buyers before production and that’s how they don’t need to go to Mandis and anywhere to find buyers. This system will not only patronage the right price for farmers’ agricultural products but also forbid the middleman.

3. Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020: This bill has the provision of Removal of cereals, pulses, oilseed, edible oils, onion, and potatoes from the list of essential commodities Does away with the imposition of stock limit except under exceptional conditions. Government Argument: It will help in reducing wastage of produced as private investment in cold storage, warehouse and food processing get attracted. It will end the alleged harassment of the existing System through which the government can control the production, supply, and distribution of that commodity, and impose a stock limit.

Farmer unions in Punjab and Haryana said the recent laws enacted at the Centre will dismantle the minimum support price (MSP) system. Over time big corporate houses will dictate terms and farmers will end up getting less for their crops, they argue. Farmers fear that with the virtual disbanding of the mandi system, they will not get an assured price for their crops and the “arthiyas” —commission agents who also pitch in with loans for them — will be out of business. Their demands: The key demand is the withdrawal of the three laws which deregulate the sale of their crops. The farmer unions could also settle for a legal assurance that the MSP system will continue, ideally through an amendment to the laws. They also wanted the government to withdraw of the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020, fearing it will lead to an end to subsidised electricity.

Farmers Point Of View! Farmers' Protest - Kisan Andolan

Firstly, Farmers are protesting because of the sense of insecurities that were fed into them. They’re worried about the existing system of MSP will get obliterated and they’ll be forced to sell their products at a price lower than the current MSP to corporates. Here are the reasons why the farmer is actually worried:

The farmers are demanding for Minimum Support Price for their produce which is not guaranteed in the new law.

Secondly, they cannot approach the court if any dispute arises and at the most, they may complain to the collector. What a collector can do in this regard. Can a civil servant decide against such a big corporate?

Third, after this farmer bill, private companies will offer more price for crops than government in the initial years (obviously farmers will more likely to sell their farm production to private companies) which likely end up in private companies getting the monopoly of the market and because no farmer will sell their crops to government and Sarkari mandi will cause collapse and their importance will become negligible.

And when this will happen farmers fear that private companies will now manipulate the prices (obviously private companies aren’t there for the charity they too want profit). Practically this doubt is genuine because this usually happens in every sector, for example, JIO when Jio was introduced it was offering free everything but once it gained the required or enough users they started increasing the prices. What farmers want is that under no circumstances private will purchase will their farm production below MSP.. though the government has assured them that they will get the MSP this isn’t mentioned in the bill.

If at all these bills are implemented, will the large-scale traders go to every small farmer to buy their requirements? They ultimately shall need a chain of middlemen, isn’t it?

Now when the private companies can store the essential commodities (like pulses etc) farmers fear that once the private companies get the monopoly they will store the crops in huge quantities in their warehouse and when farmers go for sale they (private parties) will negotiate and lower the price of crops as they’ll have enough farm production in their storage.

Few examples of farmer loss with new trends and techniques:

Amul Sugarcane farmers have experience in contract farming. Mill owner does not pay to farmers their dues for years. Can the farmers fight them in courts? What assurance is that the farmer’s products shall be purchased in time and timely payment. Already farmer has the liberty to sell tomato, onions and potato type cash crops in the free market and to anyone. Has it improved the condition of the farming community?

Lays Corporate Farming: Farmers have already lost their land to the corporates in the name of corporate farming. A well-known brand of chips, Lays gave seeds, fertilizer, pesticides to the farmers. Later on, producing, the company said it is not as per the size, shape, and color and the farmers lost heavily. The corporates give advance. Two-three times if the corporate says the same thing the land of the farmers will be equal to the advance given by the company. The corporates have taken farmer’s land. The government is not given any guarantee that such a loss will not be there.

Government's Failure In Handling Farmers' Protest - Kisan Andolan:

11 rounds of talks but no results:

To break the impasse, the government which has so far held eleven rounds of talks with the farmers. In the last round of talks on Wednesday when it offered to suspend the laws for 1-1.5 years and form a joint committee to find solutions, in return for protesting farmers going back to their respective homes from Delhi borders. Farmer leaders, however, said they would settle for nothing less than a complete repeal of the laws, enacted in September last year, which they find pro-corporate, and a legal guarantee for the procurement of crops at government-fixed MSP.

The governing style of the present government is quite isolated. Take it the case of CAA, Demonetisation, or These Farmer Bills. The one thing that you’ll find in common is “Negligence of Stakeholders” and “A Sense of Urgency” before implementing a major Reform. In CAA, instead of the fact that no Indian is denied citizenship, a massive fear was implanted into some sections of people due to proper reaching out to Stakeholders before enforcement. Similarly, in the present case, initially, the government didn’t feel to start a conversation before enacting these three laws/bills, reaching out to farmers, making them convince and then to introduce these bills, rather, did the opposite. And now when the protests are at their peak, the government to starts Sambaad with farmers. Government should talk to farmers and clear this and I mean not only to those who are protesting but to all farmers of India and clear their doubts and find a middle way which will benefit both parties.

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How Prime Minister Narendra Modi Is Supporting Irrigation & PMKSY?

Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)

India is highly dependant on Agriculture sector. So we should be following new trends and techniques which results in more output by using less resources. As we know over 80% of water consumption in India is for agriculture sector, and 30% of water provided to agriculture is wasted. So there is a strong need of management of water in this field. India’s increasing population creates problem in many cases, water shortage is one of them. If we could find a technique which uses less water and give optimum results, then it would be great for India. With this thought process Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started PMKSY (Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana-Har Khet ko Pani) and Narendra Modi has sanctioned approximately 2600 Crore budget for this Scheme.

The government of India is committed to putting water conservation and its management on high priority. To this effect, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) has been formulated with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation ‘Har Khet ko pani’ and improving water use efficiency ‘More crop per drop’ in a focused manner. It also provides end to end solutions on source creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) has started in 2015 under the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PMKSY has been formulated amalgamating ongoing schemes viz.

Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources – Rs. 1000 crores

River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR) – Rs. 2000 crores for MoWR

Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of Department of Land Resources (DoLR) – Rs. 1500 crores

The On-Farm Water Management (OFWM) of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) – Rs.5300 crores

PMKSY has approved around Rs. 50,000 crores for five years.

Under Hon. PM Narendra Modi’s guidance area covered for irrigation is: Micro Irrigation Drip: 3.57 Lakh Ha Sprinkler: 5.81 Lakh Ha Total: 9.37 Lakh Ha Other Interventions Potential Created For Protective Irrigation: 3.65 Lakh Ha

About Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)

Major Objective Of PMKSY

Convergence of investment in irrigation at the field level

Expand cultivable area under irrigation (हर खेत को पानी)

Improve On-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water

Enhance the adoption of being precise in irrigation and other water-saving technologies (more crop per drop)

Enhance recharge of aquifers

Introduce sustainable water conservation practices by exploring the feasibility of reusing treated municipal wastewater for peri-urban agriculture

Attract greater private investment in the precision irrigation system.

The PMKSY scheme will be implemented by the Ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Rural Development. Ministry of Rural Development is to mainly undertake rainwater conservation, construction of farm ponds, water harvesting structures, small check dams, and contour binding, etc. MoWR, RD &GR, is to undertake various measures for the creation of assured irrigation source, construction of diversion canals, field channels, water diversion/lift irrigation, including the development of water distribution systems. Ministry of Agriculture will promote efficient water conveyance and precision water application devices like drips, sprinklers, pivots, rain-guns in the farm “(Jal Sinchan)”, construction of micro-irrigation structures to supplement source creation activities, extension activities for the promotion of scientific moisture conservation and agronomic measures Program architecture of PMKSY will be to adopt a ‘decentralized State level planning and projected execution’ structure that will allow States to draw up their own irrigation development plans based on District Irrigation Plan (DIP) and State Irrigation Plan (SIP). It will be operative as a convergence platform for all water sector activities including drinking water & sanitation, MGNREGA, application of science & technology, etc. through a comprehensive plan. State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) chaired by the Chief Secretary of the State will be vested with the authority to oversee its implementation and sanction projects. The program will be supervised and monitored by an Inter-Ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) will be constituted under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister with Union Ministers from concerned Ministries.

District Irrigation Plans (DIPs)

District Irrigation Plans (DIPs) shall be the cornerstone for the planning and implementation of PMKSY. DIPs will identify the gaps in irrigation infrastructure after taking into consideration the District Agriculture Plans (DAPs) already prepared for Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) vis-à-vis irrigation infrastructure currently available. Also, resources that would be added during XII Plan from other ongoing schemes (both State and Central), like

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MGNREGS),

Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY),

Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF),

Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) Scheme,

Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development (MLALAD) Scheme,

Local body funds, etc

The gaps identified under Strategic Research & Extension Plan (SREGP) will be used to prepare for DIP. DIPs will present a holistic irrigation development perspective of the district outlining medium to long-term development plans integrating three components viz. water sources, distribution network, and water use applications incorporating all usage of water like drinking & domestic use, irrigation, and industry. Preparation of DIP will be taken up as a joint exercise of all participating departments. DIP will form the compendium of all existing and proposed water resource network systems in the district. The DIPs may be prepared at two levels, the block, and the district. Keeping in view the convenience of map preparation and data collection, the work would be primarily done at the block level. A block-wise irrigation plan is to be prepared depending on the available and potential water resources and water requirements for the agriculture sector prioritizing the activities based on the socio-economic and location-specific requirements. The comprehensive irrigation plan may cover more than one district if planning is made based on the basin/sub-basin level. The activities identified in the basin/sub-basin plan can be further segregated into district/block level action plans. Use of satellite imagery, topo sheets, and available database may be appropriately utilized for developing irrigation plans at least on a pilot basis, to begin with, and subsequently may be extended to all projects.

State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC)

State Level Sanctioning Committee (SLSC) chaired by the Chief Secretary of the respective States are authorized to sanction projects, oversee their implementation and monitoring. National Executive Committee (NEC) under the Chairmanship of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog will oversee program implementation, allocation of resources, inter-ministerial coordination, monitoring & performance assessment, addressing administrative issues. At the National level, the program is to be supervised and monitored by an Inter-Ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister with Union Ministers concerned Ministries as a member.

Guidelines for one-touch information of PMKSY: https://pmksy.gov.in/Guidelines.aspx The common format for PMKSY: https://pmksy.gov.in/pdfLinks/OneTouchFormat.pdf For Irrigation subsidy enquiry and to create application, visit: https://bharatirrigation.com/

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Drip Irrigation Installation

Drip irrigation is today’s need because Water – nature’s gift to mankind is not unlimited and free forever. World water resources are fast diminishing. So we have to use the resources with due care. For Drip irrigation installation it takes a long procedure. Quotation, Graph Design, then actual installation of the system. Let’s discuss it in detail. Drip Irrigation installation involves following steps:

Step 1: Plan The Drip Irrigation System

Either you can buy it from the shops or you can order it online. Drip Irrigation providers have dealers in various areas. This will provide you drip irrigation kit according to your farm calculations.

Let’s see the process before the drip irrigation installation. You need to have a graph design for the installation of drip irrigation for your farm. The engineer will do the graph design and then according to that your Drip Irrigation setting is implemented. Dripwala can help you with this. You can design graphs and approve them with the Engineer. Also, Dripwala app is free and very easy to use.

Parts Of Drip Irrigation Systems:

Battery-operated timer. One nine-volt battery will last an entire season.

Backflow preventer. Prevents dirty garden water from flowing back into your household water lines.

Screen filter. Traps particles that could clog the emitters. May be separate or part of the backflow device.

Pressure regulator. Lowers the incoming water pressure to a level the drip system can tolerate; 25 to 30 psi (pounds per square inch) is standard.

Hose adapter. Connects water source to the mainline.

1/2-in. mainline. Don’t exceed 200 ft. of tubing in a single circuit.

Elbow fitting. Connects sections of hose to one another or other components.

Preinstalled emitter. Spaced every six to 12 inches; good for straight rows of plants and for shrubs.

Hole punch. Makes ports in the mainline to connect watering devices and 1/4-in. tubing.

1/2-gph pressure-compensating dripper. Ideal for flat and hillside terrain and heavy clay soil.

Hose end clamps. Closes off the end of the mainline.

1/4-in. barbed tee. Allows branching to 1/4-in. from 1/2-in. lines.

Tubing stakes and adjustable sprayer. You can mix and match watering devices, but don’t use more than 150 gallons per hour (gph) on a single circuit.

1/4-in. micro tubing. Good for containers, zoned areas, and customizing your system. Comes in multiple colors to help hide it. Don’t exceed 50 ft. of 1/4-in. tubing in a single circuit.

1/4-in. barbed connector. Connects 1/4-in. micro tubing to the mainline.

Goof plugs. Plug unneeded holes when you change the placement of your tubing, watering devices, or landscaping.

Assorted emitters. Adjustable emitters, also called shrubblers and drippers, can apply as little as 1/2-gph or as much as 10-gph. The right number, type, and size of emitters depend on plant type, soil, and weather conditions. The yellow flag dripper shown can be taken apart and cleaned.

Tee fitting. Creates branch lines to expand and customize the system.

1/2-in. universal coupler. Allows you to cut out damaged tubing and install a new line.

Step 2: Assemble The Hoses (Rubber Tubes)

Drip irrigation tubing is 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch plastic hoses. They make up the bulk of a drip irrigation system. Assembling the hoses properly is key to a properly running system. Here’s how to assemble them:

Install a backflow preventer valve to the outdoor faucet. This will keep groundwater from backing up into your drinking water.

Attach a hose adapter to fit the diameter of the system’s mainline.

Connect the systems mainline to the backflow preventer and run it to the garden.

Step 3: Connect To An Outdoor Faucet

The Y-splitter with shutoffs allows you to keep the drip system on all the time (and operated by a controller) and still use your regular garden hose. You don’t have to use a controller, but you must use a backflow preventer.

Mount a ‘Y’ with shutoff valves to your faucet.

Then attach the optional timer, backflow preventer, filter, pressure regulator and adapter.

Step 4: Lay Tubing Around Shrubs And Trees

Position loops of ¼-inch tubing around the trees and shrubs. Use a hole punch to pierce the ½-inch tubing where the loop will begin. Insert a small tee connector into the hole. Attach one end of ¼-inch tubing with emitters to one side of the tee. Now make a lasso shape around the trunk of the tree. The loop should be big enough to extend halfway out to the edge of the tree’s canopy. Cut the tubing and attach the end to the other side of the tee.

Step 5: Install Ground Stakes

Once you’ve got the tubing in position, use plastic ground stakes to hold it down. Be sure the hook at the top of the stakes fits over the tubing.

Wherever the tubing has to turn at a sharp angle or branch out to another section, cut it and reattach it with tee or elbow connectors. Cut the end of the tubing when you are finished; leave it open so you can flush it with water later.

Step 6: Install Emitters And Feeder Lines

Knowing how to install a drip irrigation system is the most efficient way to water your garden. The last step in drip irrigation installation is putting in emitter and feeder lines. Once you do this, your drip irrigation system will be ready. Here’s the step-by-step process:

Punch holes in the line for all drip irrigation emitters with an emitter tool. Place emitters in the desired locations next to plants.

Selected plants should not be more than 1 foot away from the line. Cut an appropriate length of 1/8-inch emitter tubing. Attach the feeder line to the emitter on the branch line. Attach an emitter to the end of the feeder line.

Plug the ends of the individual lines with caps and secure them with band clamps.

Tip: Flush the system every four to six months by removing the end caps and turning on the water, allowing it to run until the water flows clear.

Learning how to install a drip irrigation system is even easier with drip irrigation kits. They’re budget-friendly and assembly is straightforward. Nevertheless, a drip irrigation installation from scratch can be done in as little as a day. Very few tools are required. You don’t need years of landscaping experience either. Just follow these drip irrigation basics to learn how to install a drip irrigation system like a pro. First, layout the irrigation grid and install the hoses. Attach branch lines, emitters, and feeder lines.

Do you need help identifying drip irrigation fittings, a tool for graph design, or finding out vendors or sellers of Drip irrigation systems? Click here.

Visit: https://dripwala.com/index.php/2021/07/19/drip-irrigation-installation/

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Rain Gun Sprinkler Irrigation Systems

The name itself is pretty self-explanatory. Rain gun is a sprinkler irrigation system that showers like rain and also called as big sprinkler or water gun. Rain guns can move in half or full circle at the same speed due to the use of gear technology in them. It can be used to irrigate any crop Ex. Wheat, Maize, Sugarcane, Cotton, Bajara, Groundnut, Chilli, Onion, Potato, Tea, Coffee, etc. In addition, it is very useful for large Play-grounds, Golf courses, and Lawns.

As the name implies the pressurized water through the Rain gun is used to irrigate the crop. It has the advantage of sprinkler irrigation along with water usage economy.

Difference between rain guns and small sprinklers Rain gun is a large area covering sprinklers. Generally replacing 8 to 10 small sprinklers as per the model chosen. Therefore, reducing the labor required to great extent in shifting sprinklers in the farm area. It has a choice to use fully or partly automatic circle rotation. In addition, it gives you a droplet size management mechanism for optimum working under windy conditions.

Raingun Irrigation System:

A Single Rain Gun can cover an area of one acre by sprinkling from one position within 2-3 hours only.  With the portable installation, you can cover the entire farm by moving the system. In other words, you can say that these are high-performance impact sprinklers.  Also, it is designed for a variety of applications where relatively high flows and an extended radius of the throw are desired.

A rain gun may be permanent or portable. In a permanent rain gun, the gun riser stands permanently fixed on the pipeline network. Cement concrete block surrounds riser for support. However in a portable rain gun, the entire pipeline network along with the gun riser stand, can be shifted from one location to another. One rain gun can cover up to 4 hectares (10 acres) of land. In conclusion, it saves around 30 to 50 percent of water in different crops. Usually, it takes one and half hours to irrigate 0.50 acres.

Low water application efficiencies at the field level must be improved to overcome the shortage of water. In other words improvement in application efficiencies will reduce the problem of waterlogging and salinity. Therefore, it is important to develop techniques to use the available resources of irrigation water more efficiently during field application. Adopting pressurized irrigation systems like Rain gun sprinkler irrigation can increase application efficiency. However, this system is expensive and difficult to operate by common farmers. Studies have shown that well-designed and well-managed surface irrigation systems have comparable application efficiencies to those of the pressurized system. Therefore, it is important to improve surface irrigation systems and their management. Therefore, you can increase application efficiency without lowering crop,

Features Of Raingun:

Heavy-duty construction using high-tech composite materials.

Most suitable for a variety of climates like tropical, temperate, and humid climates.

Extraordinary operations at all pressure levels work smoothly and uniformly.

Light in weight and easy to install. In conclusion, lesser weight puts less stress on irrigation system structures.

Maintenance-free, self-lubricating sealed bearing.

Suitable for both solid set field irrigation and mechanically moved.

Available in a full circle & part circle.

Advantages Of Rain Gun Sprinkler Irrigation System

It saves more than 50% of the water used by flood irrigation.

This saves labor.

It saves electricity. In the future, if farm motors come under unit rating, It will save nearly 75% of the electricity. As a result, it increases the life of the motor/pump.

As 1⁄2 acre could be irrigated within 1 1⁄2 hours, the total area irrigated per day nearly doubles. For instance, if a farmer cultivates 5-acre sugarcane with flood irrigation, he can cultivate 10 acres of land by using Rain Gun with the very same availability of water and pump.

Highly Efficient Portable System

Long enduring and maintenance-free

Lightweight, sturdy, and easy to shift.

Uniform sprinkling with the condition to calibrate droplet size and rainfall rate, suitable to all soils and crops.

Quick fit accessories for connecting to PVC or G.I. or HDPE main lines.

Rain Gun Sprinkler System provide early sowing & better germination of seedling through optimum moisture condition of soil.

Liquid fertilizer quickly applied over large areas. Therefore, it saves on fertilizer quantity; foliar application hence results in good yield.

Reduces labor and pipeline cost

It reduces pest and insect attacks

This lessens the irrigation time and saves diesel

Rain gun sprinklers operate at different pressures, rotating at a uniform speed, and can be adjusted to cover part or full circle.

Prevents salination caused due to over-irrigation thus maintaining soil productivity

What Are The Advantages Of Rainguns Over Flood Irrigation?

In flood irrigation, more than 75% of the water goes as percolation loss (say 25% of water is available at E.R.D). In any agriculture, the topsoil is more fertile (for this only we apply fertilizers and manures). However, Rain Gun irrigate only up to the E.R.D, there is no percolation loss or leaching.

This irrigation technique plays the role of Nitrogen fixation. As we know Nitrogen is one of the major nutrient that  plants requires. Atmospheric air contains 78% nitrogen. As our Rain Gun resembles Rain, the water dissolves the nitrogen from the air and gives it to the soil, thereby adding nutritive value to soil. In conclusion, it results in increased yield.

Pests and insects get washed away during Rain Gun irrigation. Therefore, Rain gun reduces pest and insects.

Uniformity in irrigation.

In flood irrigation, farmers usually open the delivery at one corner of the field and it goes to the next corner and entire field by gravity. For well-grown sugarcane fields, farmers are unable to go and inspect if the entire field gets uniformity in irrigation. However, in Rain Gun irrigation, the uniformity of the entire field is ensured.

Easier application of fertilizer and pesticides.

In well-grown sugarcane, farmer feels very hard to spray in the interior field. Fertilizers and pesticides easily sprayed with the help of fertilizer tank and venture assembly. It does not require labor for that.

Disadvantages Of Rain Gun Sprinkler Irrigation Systems

Large numbers of trees make it difficult to sprinkle uniformly.

The rain gun and the raiser pipes are very heavy.

High daytime temperatures result in evaporation loss.

Not suitable in areas with high-velocity Winds.

The prohibitive cost of rain guns.

Repairs by qualified personnel

Applications:

Agriculture Rain gun Irrigation System is also useful for other kinds of fields.

It is Applicable in Sugarcane, Ground Nut, Maize, Wheat, Grams & Pulses

Tea estates & Coffee plantation

Dust Suppression, Green Pastures, Sports Field & Golf Courses

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Kitchen Gardening

Kitchen Gardening:

Kitchen gardening is constructed with the sole purpose of growing vegetables that can be grown all year round. It is a more practical garden with a hedge or stone walls to contain the garden. Kitchen gardens are conducive to grow herbs, fruits, and vegetables.

There are two types of kitchen gardening. The first type takes place in your kitchen and can involve either re-growing veggies from food scraps or growing herbs and veggies on your windowsill. But we will discuss the type of kitchen gardening that takes place outdoors. It involves growing fresh, organic vegetables right outside your back door.

How is kitchen gardening different from “regular” vegetable gardening?

A renewed interest in kitchen gardening, however, is bringing this tradition back into vogue. I took the question of how a kitchen garden differs from a vegetable patch, and here’s what I get to know about it: “what makes a kitchen garden unique from a ‘regular’ vegetable garden is that it’s typically smaller, tended more often, and designed to connect more aesthetically with the design and architecture of the home.” Kitchen gardens are designed spaces with symmetrical beds organized and planted in an aesthetically pleasing way. In other words, kitchen gardens are not only productive, but they’re also pretty. They’re also meant for fresh eating, rather than for growing large amounts of food for canning and preserving.

Where To Put Kitchen Garden?

“Of course, you want to prioritize sunlight most,” The location you plan to have a kitchen garden should get adequate sunlight for at least 4 to 5 hours a day, preferable morning sunlight but even a little shade. Then, you’ll want to be sure you’re near a water source. Once you’ve thought about sunlight and water, then consider the aesthetics of your home and how you could extend one line or another and create a new space that feels like it’s always been a part of your home. In other words, don’t hastily plunk in a kitchen garden. Think through which space on your property you’d most like to spend time in that also has plenty of light. That’s where you want the garden; not far away and out of sight, but as closely tied to your everyday life as possible. A kitchen garden can be grown in the backyard, terrace, or just a pot. In India, if you have a terrace, you have ample space and sunlight for the plants. If you are planning to have a kitchen garden in your apartment, even a windowsill will be a good location.

If you are going to use pots (earthen or plastic) to grow your produce, you got to take care of the following points:

Proper space to help the plants grow.

Pots should have holes to help in proper drainage.

You can use milk cartons, used plastic bottles, etc. as pots for your kitchen garden.

Soil Usage:

To get the best homegrown crops from your kitchen garden you need to make sure your soil is up to scratch. It’s useful to test the pH levels of the soil in your vegetable garden to help you select crops to suit it. Soil testing kits don’t cost much and are readily available online.

You can make your kitchen garden soil by yourself at home. Make a mixture of 50% soil and 50% compost. You can collect all your kitchen wet waste like tea leaves, eggshells, vegetable peels, etc, and instead of throwing it in the garbage, gather it in a pot with soil for a few days.

While planting your vegetables or fruits for your kitchen garden, fill the container with a mixture of soil and compost three-quarters (add in a few pebbles or crushed thermocol pieces to prevent clogging in the pot). Plant the seeds or vegetables and spray the water just enough to moisten the soil. Always try not to overwater the soil as it could lead to rotting of the roots. To find out if the soil is dry, insert any finger in the soil till the knuckle to check if the soil is moist and water accordingly.

Weeding and working the soil:

First thing to do is to clear all the weeds or plants or turf (the latter can be stashed somewhere with the grass facedown; after a while, it will become great topsoil that you can put back on the bed for next season). Dig over the soil, then cover the vegetable patch with clear plastic sheeting for a couple of weeks to dry out and warm up the soil (if you’re starting off in spring, which is ideal). This will also help any dormant weeds emerge so that you can whip them out before you start planting.

Improving your soil

The next thing to do is improve the soil – and it never hurts to. You can do this by digging in organic matter, such as well-rotted manure or compost. Your local garden center might also have composted bark, mushroom compost, or leaf mold. Ask them – assuming the staff is knowledgeable – what best suits the local soil. And if they know, ask them if you need to do anything else.

Soils are generally on a spectrum from clay to sand and can vary from place to place within your garden. All soils will benefit from the addition of organic matter to retain moisture and nutrients.

Clay soil needs breaking up and takes longer to warm up so suits later crops. Light soils are good for early vegetables but need large quantities of manure and compost to avoid water draining away too rapidly. The ideal soil is loose, crumbly loam, which absorbs and holds water and nutrients, is well aerated, and drains freely.

Vegetables To Grow In Kitchen Gardening:

You can grow a lot of things in a kitchen garden but that doesn’t mean you should. A kitchen garden is all about setting priorities. You can either grow a lot of a few things or a little of a lot of things, but you can’t really do both. You can grow all your herbs, nearly all of your greens, and the fruiting plants. Here is a list of crops you can cultivate in your kitchen garden.

Advantages Of Kitchen Garden:

Help to save expenditure on purchase of vegetables.

Vegetables harvested from the home gardens taste better than those purchased from the market.

Effective utilization of kitchen wastewater and kitchen waste materials.

You get to eat more homegrown seasonal vegetables and herbs that are free from harmful pesticides and toxic chemicals.

There’s better control over what goes in your meal when you are growing it yourself, making it a healthier option and adding some nutritional value to your diet.

Kitchen gardening is a very healthy way to involve the whole family in physical activity, it brings exercise to the body and mind.

Kitchen gardening also helps clean up a lot of air around your home.

Your kitchen garden goes a long way in healing the environment around you.

Maintaining The Garden:

Maintain your kitchen garden firstly starts with the spacing of plants. Space out your plants to allow them a proper place to grow and flourish. Plants that are placed together have their own humidity and tend to grow poorly.

Another tip to maintain the kitchen garden is pruning. Once the garden is planted and begins to fill in, the most time-consuming tasks are pruning and harvesting, though watering is essential, especially during times of drought To help your produce grow healthy in your kitchen garden, be sure to prune your plants regularly. To simplify what it is: Pruning is the process of clipping dead or dried leaves. The pruning helps the plants in growing, and health improves as well. You can undertake the process of pruning at any time of the year. The more you prone, the more it will flourish. It is best to use pruners, also called clippers, to make clean cuts with swift action.

To minimize maintenance in your kitchen garden, you should think about nature. Most advisors praise intensive planting in kitchen gardens. instead of mono-cropping a raised bed with a mass of just one plant, think about nature and the way these plants would situate themselves. Plant your beds with large plants in the center – usually growing up a trellis – medium plants to the side, and small plants like herbs, greens, and flowers around the outside edge of the beds. This intensive planting creates layers and nearly eliminates the challenge of weeds. It makes water retention so much better, and also prevents pests and diseases as your plants and flowers work together, just as they do in nature.

Why Should Every Home Have A Kitchen Garden?

Our modern industrialized food chain gives us very little control over where our food comes from and what goes into growing it. But by starting a kitchen garden and growing even a small portion of your own food, you’ll not only be cultivating a connection to what you eat, but you’ll also be helping the planet. Not to mention the fact that it just feels good to have a hand in feeding yourself and your family. Plus it’s good exercise!

There aren’t many things in the world that are beautiful and inspiring, productive, and so good for every aspect of your health. When you think about the fact that all of us eat three meals a day, you soon realize that the choices we make with our food add up quickly. I truly believe a kitchen garden revival could change the whole world for the better.

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What Is Rainwater Harvesting?

Rainwater harvesting is the simple process or technology used to conserve Rainwater by collecting, storing, conveying, and purifying Rainwater that runs off from rooftops, parks, roads, open grounds, etc. for later use.

Have you ever imagined a day without water? No, we have not and it is hard to imagine. We all use water for different kinds of day-to-day activities, such as cleaning, washing, bathing, cooking, drinking, and other domestic and industrial uses. Water is a precious, essential, and vital component of the ecosystem. A large quantity of water is used for irrigation and there is an urgent need for proper water management in the irrigation sector. Today we all are heading toward the scarcity of water, and this is mainly because of the lack of water conservation and pollution of water bodies. Reports of several global agencies including the United Nations indicate that if the current situation of water does not change and preventive measures are not taken, then the world will start to run out of fresh water by 2050. So, let us not waste a drop of water and start conserving water for further use.

The rainwater harvesting system is one of the best methods practiced and followed to support the conservation of water. Today, scarcity of good quality water has become a significant cause of concern. However, Rainwater, which is pure and of good quality, can be used for irrigation, washing, cleaning, bathing, cooking, and other livestock requirements.

Read More

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Farm Ponds vs Well

Introduction Of Farm Ponds

Farm ponds are small tank or reservoir-like constructions. Its only purpose is to store the surface runoff, generated from the catchment area. The farm ponds are the water harvesting structures. It solves several purposes of farm needs such as the supply of water for irrigation, cattle feed, fish production, etc. Farm ponds also play a vital role in flood control by constructing them in large numbers in the area. In addition, the farm stores the monsoon water. This water is used for irrigation of crops, and several other purposes, according to the need. Rainfed farming can be done on an optimum scale with more profitability with the help of Farm Ponds.

In the present scenario, water scarcity is a huge problem in front of the world. Water scarcity impacted Farmers too. They are also facing problems in farming like lack of crop production, less income due to uncertainty in the rain and the water cycle. Uncertainty in rainfall distribution observed due to climate change. Hence areas expected with high rainfall are receiving low rainfall and vice versa.

Farmers with rain-fed lands are vulnerable and can cultivate only a single crop in a year, provided that the rainfall is timely and adequate. As we know draught results in low yields. However, farmers could irrigate their fields twice with proper storage of rainwater. Thus significantly improving agricultural productivity and hence rural income. Initiatives like the Farm Pond program aim at shifting the focus from traditional cultivation to cash crops and horticulture, as water harvesting structures provide farmers more choices if water is available. Farmers are not only getting 40-50% higher yield from the major crops but are also growing cash crops such as chilly, papaya, garlic, and also short-duration vegetables, improving food security and nutrition.

Types:

Embarkment type:

Embarkment-type farm ponds are constructed across the stream or watercourse where the land slope is from gentle to steep.

An embankment of the earth  dependent on  the volume of water to be stored,

Excavated or Dug-out type:

Dug-out type farm ponds constructed on the flat land area by excavating the soil from the ground. The catchment area and volume of water to be stored decides the size and depth of the farm pond. It is used for irrigation and fish farming purposes.

Designing a Dug-out type farm pond, you need to check rainfall, land slope, catchment area, runoff, and seepage characteristics. Seepage is an important factor for the design of the pond

Benefits:

Helps farmers by storing rainwater to provide adequate, reliable, long-term water supply, and hence ending vulnerability and uncertainty of rain-fed farmers

It is a one-time investment which provides localized water and food security for many years by enhancing crop productivity and climate resilience

An increase in farm productivity means more crops.

Increase in land productivity as well the value of agricultural land.

Apart from water it helps in conserving the natural resources like soil and nutrients.

The availability of water increases the chances to grow cash crops through irrigation technologies.

Increase in the income of farmers-Water harvesting allows timely sowing and irrigation of multiple crops, helping farmers to maximize their yield and correspondingly increase his/her income by 2 to 3 times minimum and even in many cases up to 5 times.

Generates employment opportunities for on-farm labor during all seasons. Thus it prevents migration and can make the owner of the farm-pond a rural job-creator.

Farmers can do fish farming in the pond, which will provide them with more opportunities to grow their agriculture business.

Improve the quality of crop yield.

Helps in preserving soil erosion

Farm Ponds Vs Well/Borewell:

Farm ponds stores or preserve water coming from rains, whereas Wells derives water from Earth and uses it.

In the case of Farm ponds, the more you create farm ponds more you save water. But for wells, the more you dig wells more you lose water storage of water.

Farm ponds increase the water level in the area nearby, whereas wells decrease the water level.

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Is Dripwala Free? How is it Free?

Want to install Micro-Irrigation systems for your farm? You need Quotation, Graphical Design for the installation of Micro Irrigation systems. Having trouble in making free micro-irrigation designs? Dripwala can help you with this. It gives you features like Quotation, Graphical Designs with ready-made templates, or with an actual view of your farm with Satellite Maps. You can design as per your requirements depending on the crop on your farm. Dripwala is the World’s First Practice Management App of Micro-Irrigation. It is useful for all farmers, vendors, and Engineers related to irrigation sector.

But Is It Free?

Yes, Dripwala is absolutely FREE to use on the Google Play store.

Except for few features for complex designing, users can complete their required tasks at no cost. Such as getting Quotations, creating Graphical Designs, saving Bills and Receipts.

On successful registration, every user gets 50 points called Dripwala Money. On performing a few actions such as using premium readymade templates, 5 Dripwala money will be deducted from the account balance. (100 Dripwala Money) Users can do the tasks till their Dripwala Money becomes zero.

What Do Premium Services Offer?

Premium services are the additional benefits to the users. Let me tell you, users can design without any interruptions. Additional features included in Premium services:

Complex Readymade Templates: Readymade templates have few basic designs in Free Account if you want to complex designs in the readymade template you should have a premium account.

Satellite Map: If a user wants to get the graphical details of the plot with the help of Satellite Maps, this comes under premium services. Hence, a company engineer can select any plot sitting in the office and design accordingly.

Ledger Reports: Here you get to see the total quotations and amount balance for your account

What If We Tell You, You Can Increase Your Dripwala Money?

Suppose you are using our app and you have ended up with Dripwala Money, but you want to continue with the app. Don’t worry, we have one more way to keep using Dripwala.

There is a feature called invite/share (earn money) in the category list. In this option, you just have to share it in your circle, and on the successful use of the app in your referrals account, you will get rewarded with Dripwala money.

Hence, you can earn Dripwala Money and continue using Dripwala App.

Download Dripwala And Design Micro Irrigation Systems For Free:

Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dripwala.com

Visit for further details: https://dripwala.com/

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Why Indian farmers commit suicides?

India is highly dependent on agriculture. Over 70% of the population is attached to agriculture directly or indirectly. But farmers suicide has been a big issue for the country since past two decades. Although many practices and solution has been tried out by government. But nothing has worked efficiently till now. Lets discuss it in detail, 

visit: https://dripwala.com/index.php/2021/06/04/why-farmers-in-india-commits-suicide/