Small-scale Irrigation
Definition
Small-scale irrigation is the one generally led and decided by (smallholder) farmers, so they control which irrigation technologies they use to abstract, lift, and distribute water to their fields. Small-scale irrigation ranges from manual irrigation by jerry cans or buckets, to solar pumps and sprinklers. The objective of small-scale irrigation is to increase productivity while boosting resilience against adverse climate effects like droughts and heatwaves.
Lead Actors
Off-taker; Farmer Organisation
Target Demographics
Smallholder Farmers
Objectives addressed
Farmer related
Improve yields:
Small-scale irrigation can contribute moderately to improving yields by supporting farmers in meeting the crop's water requirements (if irrigation is properly implemented and used).
Increase climate resilience:
Small-scale irrigation contributes to increasing climate resilience by maintaining plant water requirements at optimal levels, if properly implemented, especially in drought-prone areas.
Business related
Although, in our experience, this innovation does not contribute directly any business-related objective, we do not discount the possibility that some companies may experience some (limited) benefits from it.
Contexts Best Suited to
Drought-sensitive cash crops: drip irrigation systems increase the resilience of farming systems against water deficit and stress.
Drought-prone areas: drip irrigation enables consistent and resilient farming in areas with water deficit and stress.
Drought-prone areas: drip irrigation enables consistent and resilient farming in areas with water deficit and stress.
Key Risks
Inconsistency: Famers may use small-scale irrigation methods erratically (or change between them seasonally), compromising the consistency of the production.
Environmental Impact
Ambiguous:
Small-scale irrigation may improve yields, reducing land sprawling and resource waste. However, if applied without control, it may still over-extract available water resources and reduce adoption of sustainable water management practices such as shade trees, mulching, and rainwater harvesting.
Ambition level
Low
Time
A wide range of irrigation methods are typically readily available, enabling farmers to implement small-scale irrigation in their farms in relatively short timespans. Depending on the method chosen, some installation/commissioning time, and some training time could be considered.
Investment Need
Small-scale irrigation can be rather affordable, depending on the irrigation method to be implemented. However, it is worth considering that more complex methods, like solar pumps, may require higher investment capital than simpler ones.
