Water Use in Agriculture

Irrigation- is the watering of land to make it ready for agriculture.



1) Drip Irrigation- A planned irrigation system in which water is applied directly to the Root Zone of plants by means of applicators  operated under low pressure with the applicators being placed either on or below the surface of the ground.

pros- efficient use of water, applied evenly, balanced distribution of nutrients and salts which enhances healthy growth of plants and conserves water which is environmentally friendly.

cons- costly investment, requires frequent maintenance( cleaning through filtration) and constant monitoring. 




2)Sprinkler-A planned irrigation system in which water is applied by means of perforated pipes or nozzles operated under pressure so as to form a spray pattern.

pros- works at low pressures to save energy, achieves high uniformity of application,  waters irrigated efficiently if combined with a scheduling system, and easy to apply frequent light irrigation. Fixed systems are cheaper to manage.

cons- higher capital costs especially if a portable system (more moving around, more labour costs), and need to take care of them in windy conditions so that uniformity is not distorted.




3)Surface Irrigation-Irrigation where the soil surface is used as a conduit, as in furrow and border irrigation as opposed to sprinkler irrigation or sub irrigation. 

pros- minimal capital investment or energy costs, less affected by climate and water factors, and easy to see the effectiveness of the system.

cons-tends to be less effective than other systems, lots of labour required, difficult to engineer, drainage can be a problem in some circumstances, and can be a higher disease pressure (especially flood).



My Opinion:

In my opinion, I think farmers should use the sprinkler system because it is the best option from the three choices. It is able to work at low pressures and save energy. In a scheduled system, it can achieve high uniformity of application. It is also the most efficient way to water land quickly and evenly. The main downside is that it can be costly however the quality and efficiency of the sprinkler overrule the cons.