ADVANCED FURROW IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGIESSAVE WATER AND INCREASE WATER PRODUCTIVITY

What is Furrow Irrigation?Furrow irrigation is one of the most widely used surface irrigation technologies worldwide. Furrow Irrigation can be used for al-most all crops, including fruit trees. It is best suited for small-scale farmers. It requires quite a lot of labor input but practically no investments. By adapting the furrow layout it can be used on different types of soils and slopes. Furrow irrigation is the commonly practiced irrigation technology not only in Kyrgyzstan but in entire Central Asia. The technology was practiced during the Soviet times and all the irrigation network system was established then. Though water can be used more efficiently than compared to flooding, the efficiency of furrow irrigation is only 60%. Which means that 40% of the given water is not used by the crop and is lost due to run-off and percolation. Negative side effects of irrigation – decreasing yields, deterioration of soil structure and of soil fertility, and soil erosion - can be observed in many places and make the use of advanced furrow irrigation techniques necessary.

After the Soviet Union collapse in 1991 and the consequent land reform the land resources which belonged to kolkhozes before were distributed to farmers. Afterwards many small farms emerged with independent farm management. Mainly farmers did not have sufficient knowledge in agriculture and irrigation management which brought to inefficient use of water and land resources and decreasing yields. Incompetence in efficient farm management also resulted in water resources distribution. Usually observed situation is conflict caused by water resources sharing among farmers, murabs and WUAs because of scarcity of water in the heat vegetation season. Nowadays farmers in Kyrgyzstan extensively use long furrows to irrigation their fields. Though long furrow irrigation is not the best practice due to uneven water distribution and high time consumption. Farmer needs to efficiently irrigate his plot within given time of his schedule. For this purpose there are advanced furrow irrigation methods available to increase ef-ficiency of irrigation and saving water.

HELVETAS SEP PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Field of rice cultivation with furrow irrigation

How does the Technology Work? Furrows are the parallel ditches of small cross section constructed on the field by the tractor, animal traction or by hand. Furrow irrigation is using gravity for water distribution.

The factors of furrow irrigation - shape, length and spacing of furrows, have to be determined according to the natural circumstanc-es, namely crop, slope and soil type. The stream size depends on the furrow layout and the natural conditions. Furrow irrigation is suited for almost all types of soils except very sandy soils, which have a high risk of percolation losses. Although furrows can be longer when the land slope is steeper, the maximum recommended furrow slope is 2% to avoid soil erosion. If the land slope is steeper, contour furrows have to be established. The stream size, i.e. the water discharge in the furrow per second, is a crucial fac-tor of irrigation. Therefore the stream size has to be adjusted to the slope, the soil and the furrow length. The maximum stream size that will not cause erosion will depend on the furrow slope; in any case, it is advised not to use stream sizes larger than 3.0 l/sec.

Every Second Furrow IrrigationThis method is very easy to apply, but it requires soils, in which the water moves more horizontally than vertically. This is usually the case in heavi-er soils (loam or silt). The distance between the watered furrows should not exceed 1.8 m. Soils with high infiltration rates and low water-holding capacities and soils that tend to crust are not suitable. The stream size per furrow is the same as in usual irrigation of every furrow. The technol-ogy allows application of small irrigation depths (e.g. vegetables). In soils prone to salinity, salts may be transported and pushed across the bed from the irrigated side of the furrow to the dry side, thus reducing crop damage.

The method should not be used on steep slopes and cereals.

Cut-back IrrigationThis method can be used for all crops and in all soils. It reduces water run off at the end of the field. The stream size in the furrow must be reduced by half, when the irrigation stream has run down ¾ of the field length, then the volume of stream size is reduced. Thus water run off reaches end of the field faster providing even moistening of the field and reducing time of irrigation.

To make it easy one best uses two pipes or siphons for each furrow, and simply take away one pipe/siphon.

Rice in FurrowsRice growing with furrow irrigation is quite a new technology in Kyrgyz-stan. Unlike conventional rice production in basins rice is sown along fur-rows like cereals. All soil types are suitable for this method beside stony and swampy soils. The best results are achieved in dry and semi-aid re-gions. Any variety of rice can be grown with this method. A prerequisite is water availability during the sowing period. In the first weeks after sowing the soil moisture level should be 80%. Otherwise the field activities like fertilization and plant protection are the same as for the conventional rice production.

Pic 1. Every second furrow irrigation

Pic. 2 Cut-back irrigation

Pic. 3 Rice in furrows

Contour FurrowsWhen the main land slope does not exceed 2%, conventional furrows can be used. Beyond this there is a major risk of soil erosion following a breach in the furrow system. By making contour furrows, furrow irrigation can be used on land with slopes up to 25% with a minor risk of soil ero-sion. The construction of contour furrows requires some labour input, but the effort pays off due to the fact that additional income can be generated from land which otherwise cannot be cropped.

Contour furrows are furrows that run almost along a slope’s contour lines. Therefore before cutting furrows, the contour lines have to be marked on the field. Contour line is a line that is connecting points in the land-scape with the same height above sea-level. This requires a tool called “A-frame” - a simple device for measuring and marking contour lines.

Success Story from the FieldRice is a high profit crop in South Kyrgyzstan because of high local consumption and high prices. Farmers ithe south of Kyrgyzstan traditionally grow rice in cheqs (basins) with flooding irrigation. As a result the fertile layer of soil is washed away thus deteriorating soil structure. Constant water logging in the field rises the groundwater level and provokes soil salinization and swamping resulting in the worst case in losses of farmland. Farmers located downstream of the rice cultivation areas always complain for lack of water.

In 2010 SEP project together with Public Foundation Mehr-Shavkat, an agricultural service provider, organized 2 demonstration plots on rice in furrows in Aravan rayon of Osh oblast.. The demonstration showed good results. They performed best on clay and loam soils. In water scare areas Mehr-Shavkat consultants recommend furrow irrigation cultivation of rice to make a second crop after vegetables possible. As a result the method is widely disseminated in the area and reaches 2 years later 50ha. This year it is expected to cover up to 150ha of land with this advanced method of rice production.

What does the Farmer Say?I learnt about rice production with furrow irriga-tion just by chance in a meeting with friends. I got interested and started with testing the new method only on a small part of my land, because I was not sure about the success of it in the be-ginning. Consultants of Mehr-Shavkat were sup-porting me with regular coaching on all the field activities. Later in autumn when I harvested the rice I was convinced of the applicability of this method. Though the yield was the same as in the conventional rice plot I saved on labor re-sources, namely because the establishment of the bunds on cheqs was not needed, and on wa-ter payment. Thus, if for a conventional plot of 0,06ha I paid 900 KGS I would pay 250 KGS with the new method.

It is much easier now for me and my family to work in the rice field. Before, for doing any field activities like weeding or hoeing of rice we had to stay knee-deep in the water and we got often sick. Now the field is dry unlike the conventional plot and it is much easier to work on the plot. I believe if all the farmers will convert to this new method significant volume of water will be saved and water will be sufficient and available to more farmers. There is high risk of yield loss with conventional method of rice irrigation because when water is unavailable the topsoil gets cracked and rice roots are bared. This risk is eliminated if rice is irrigated in furrows. All my neighbors are very much interested in the new technology and about 20 neighbor farmers who visited my plot applied it on their own land.

Farmer Egemberdi Egemnazarov, Tolkun village, Aravan rayon of Osh oblast.

Pic. 4 Making contour lines with “A-frame”

Pic. 5 Farmer Egemberdi in his rice field

Main BenefitsRice in furrows:

Rice production in furrows has positive impact on environment, farm economy and efficient use of natural resources. Farmers save land, water, labor and financial resources with this method. It is easier to prepare land, do cultivation work and harvest . Farmers can work on dry plots and standing in water for hours is avoided. It is also assumed that the risk of malaria is reduced because there are less mosquitoes in the area Also, furrow irrigation of rice is climate change relevant, because there is no pro-duction of methan gas, one of the most harmful green house gases.

Every second furrow:

Water is saved by 20 to 30 percent. Weed development is hindered because a smaller area of the plot is watered. In soils prone to salinity, salts may be transported across the bed from the irrigated side of the furrow to the dry side, thus reducing crop damage.

Cut-back irrigation:

Water application along the plot is more uniform. Water is saved due to reduced water run off at the end of the field. Percolation losses are less and less nutrients are leached. If applied correctly, higher yields. can be achieved.

ChallengesRice in furrows:

Water availability immediately after sowing is critical because the soil must have 80% moisture in the first week. There is more weed pressure on rice in furrows plot compared to conventional plot.

Every second furrow:

When the furrow layout is not done correctly, the plot cannot be fully irrigated.

Cut-back irrigation:

The system has to be fine tuned by the farmer. The exact moment for cutting back on water use is different in every field.

Briefly about Helvetas and the SEP projectHelvetas has been working in Kyrgyzstan since 16 years in the area of rural development, education, civil society and efficient use of natural resources.

In 2008 Helvetas has designed the On-farm Water Management Project SEP (the name is abbreviation of Kyrgyz “Suunu Effec-tivduu Paidalanuu” which means efficient use of water) on the basis of extensive studies. After the pilot phase in 2009 the main Phase I for 2010 – 2012 was planned with an objective of “Farmers in pilot areas are able to take informed decisions on adaptation and adoption of improved techniques on efficient water use to increase water and crop productivity in view of adaptation to climate change effects.” Main partners of SEP are local NGOs (agricultural service providers), WUAs (Wa-ter Users Associations), private business companies etc., and the beneficiaries of project are farmers (water users) and NGOs (agricultural service providers). SEP supports need-based capacity building of WUA and partners’ personnel on innovative water saving and water harvesting methods.

Biskek Office43/1 Grajdanskaya St., Bishkek 720022Tel.: +996 (312) 360672, 360674E-mail: water@helvetas.kg

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Jalalabad Office1 Jamashova St., JalalabadTel./Fax: +996 (3722) 52012; 53169

3 Tashmatova St., Aravan village, Osh oblastTel: +996 (3231) 22774E-mail: mehrshavkat@mail.ru

Helvetas SEP Project

Mehr-Shavkat

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