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Benefits of Drip Irrigation System

Of course, as against its conventional counterparts, drip irrigation comes in as a prudent alternative, as it saves money, increases the crop yield, and also its quality. But, how does drip irrigation make all this possible? And, why is it that farmers must go for drip, breaking free of the years of their reliance on the traditional irrigation system? Here’s the answer! Today, this article would talk about some of the benefits of drip irrigation and answer a few of these questions as well.

What is Drip Irrigation?

Drip irrigation, categorized as micro-irrigation, is a modern irrigation technique that saves water, nutrients, and supplies these elements directly to the crop root zone. It involves the use of drip emitters and designing the entire drip system, based on the soil, the topography, and the crop involved. Drip irrigation is a technique that facilitates water only in the required quantities, thus saving water around 75-80% of water. Now, that’s certainly a huge saving for a farmer in a country like India that’s perpetually deprived of adequate rainfall and therefore water in most of the regions. Although the most important one, these aren’t the only benefits of drip irrigation. There are several others that farmers could enjoy on an immediate basis, as well as in the long run. Let us take a look at those benefits.

Benefits of Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation is considered to be the most efficient irrigation technique. It is a single-time investment that requires farmers to step out of the conventional shell, and then reap its benefits for years to come.

  1. Saves Water: Of course, we’ve already seen this. Drip irrigation is a micro-irrigation system, which is designed and implemented based on crop requirements. Hence, water is supplied to the crop in only the required quantities. Nothing less, and nothing more! This is the reason why drip irrigation is also termed as precision irrigation. Drip irrigation results in large water savings and is therefore looked upon at as a better alternative considering the scarcity of water in India.

  2. Water and Nutrients to the Crop Root Zone: Unlike the conventional irrigation systems, wherein water is facilitated to the soil, drip irrigation supplies water and nutrients directly to the crop root zone. This has a dual impact. It improves the quality of the yield and also helps save water, which could otherwise be lost in evaporation.

  3. Brings a Larger Land under Cultivation: Often, farmers, irrespective of the land size they own, are compelled to limit their cultivable land, thus also confining the farming potential. Drip irrigation, through the way it is designed, has the capabilities to bring a larger area under cultivation, thereby increasing the overall yield.

  4. Works with Every Land Type: Drip irrigation works well with almost every crop, land, topography, and weather conditions. This is because the fundamental concept of drip irrigation is independent of all these elements. Water isn’t supplied to the soil, but to the crop root zone, and therefore, no matter what the land type is, water would reach the crop root for sure. Even if you own a slope land, drip irrigation would still work!

  5. Cost and Resource Savings: Water is the scantiest, but the most critical resource for farming, irrespective of whether the country is India or any other. So, we’ve already established the fact that drip irrigation saves water. But then, as nutrients through fertilizers as well are supplied in the right quantities, drip irrigation, in the long run, results in large savings for farmers on the resource cost front. It prevents wastage of resources, and therefore, refers to the fact, more the saving, more the earning.

  6. Retention of Soil Moisture: Retaining soil moisture levels is a factor as important as the supply of water and nutrients. Retention of the right amount of soil moisture levels refers to improving the quality of the soil, as crops receive everything in the right quantities.

Why Should Farmers go for Drip Irrigation?

While the benefits strongly profess the need why farmers must go for drip irrigation, the realization of the losses incurred out of conventional irrigation systems would prove more important. Of course, farmers cannot be completely held responsible for their reluctance towards drip irrigation, as decommissioning the old system, and implementing the new one incurs a cost, as well as time. Companies like Netafim, however, have the capability to offer solutions on these fronts. Netafim, through NAFA, its non-banking finance company, can offer customized monetary resources to help install a drip irrigation system, along with end-to-end solutions, right from reviewing the land, designing the systems, to maintaining them as well. 

Besides, the company can also help bring the land under digital farming by helping farmers remotely operate farming activities, make informed decisions and projections based on the real-time figures associated with the utilization of resources in the farm. So, in a nutshell, if Indian farmers genuinely intend to see some positive results in the long run, drip irrigation is the best option.


About This Author


Nita PatelNita Patel
Netafim India is a irrigation Company in India.
Joined: July 15th, 2019
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