How Irrigation equipment in Kenya are selected

Reliable and suitable irrigation equipment can lead to a vast improvement in agricultural production and thus assure the economy vitality of the region. Many countries depend on irrigated agriculture to provide the basis of their society and enhance the security of their people.

Effective agronomic practices are essential components of irrigated systems. Management of the soil fertility, cropping selection and rotation, and pest control may also help improve the yields just as irrigation water itself.

Irrigation equipment in Kenya

Irrigation is not only about watering plants but it’s also about drainage, soil reclamation and erosion control. It’s therefore important that if any of these factors are ignored, through either lack of understanding or planning, agricultural productivity will definitely decline.

How to choose irrigation equipment in Kenya

Irrigation systems are often designed to maximize efficiency and minimize labour and capital requirements. The most effective management practices are dependent on the type of irrigation system and its design. There are a number of considerations which must be taken into account in the selection of an irrigation system. This will include the compatibility of the system with the other farm operations, economic feasibility, topographic and soil properties, crop characteristics and social constraints.

Compatibility

An irrigation system for a field or a farm must function alongside other farm operations such as land preparation, cultivation, and harvesting. The use of the large mechanized equipment requires longer and wider fields and therefore the irrigation systems must not interfere with these operations.

The irrigation system may need to be portable or function primarily outside the crop boundaries. The smaller equipment or animal powered cultivating equipment is more suitable for small fields and more permanent irrigation facilities.

Economics

It’s important that you select a relevant irrigation system because it is a very important economic decision. Some types of pressurized systems have high capital and operating costs but may utilize minimal labour and conserve water. Their use tends towards high value cropping patterns.

Other systems are however relatively less expensive to construct and operate but have high labour requirements. Some are limited by the type of soil or the topography found on the field. The cost of maintenance and expected life of the rehabilitation along with an array of annual costs like energy, water, depreciation, land preparation, labour maintenance and taxes should therefore be included in the selection of an irrigation system.

Water supply

The quality and quantity of the source of water can have a significant impact on the irrigation practices. Crop water demands are continuous during the growing season and as a result soil moisture reservoir transforms this continuous demand into a periodic one which the irrigation system can service.

A water supply with a relatively small discharge is best utilized in an irrigation system which incorporates frequent applications. The depths applied per irrigation would tend to be smaller under these systems than under systems having a large discharge which is available less frequently.

Crops

The yields of many crops may be as much affected by how water is applied as the quantity delivered. Irrigation systems create different environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature and soil aeration. They affect the plants differently because they wet different parts of the plant thereby introducing various undesirable consequences like leaf burn, fruit spotting and deformation.

On the other hand, Rice thrives under ponded conditions. Some crops have high economic value and allow the application of more capital intensive practices. Deep rooted crops are more amenable to low frequency, high application rate systems than shallow rooted crops.

Its therefore very important to put the above factors in mind whenever you are choosing irrigation equipment in Kenya so that to avoid the possible mistakes that could lead to the reduction of farm yields.