Friday, August 3, 2012: 12:15 PM
Sandringham
Low-cost, locally manufactured drip irrigation systems are rare in Southeast Asia, and it is primarily wealthier farmers who benefit from more expensive imported systems. In addition to relatively high costs, there are significant perceptual barriers to drip adoption as many farmers are accustomed to applying copious amounts of water to horticultural crops and are unfamiliar with either drip or their crops’ actual water requirements. Working with a non-profit (IDE-Myanmar, now Proximity Designs), whose mission is to help boost small farm incomes, the authors began testing gravity-fed drip system configurations in Myanmar in 2006. While beginning with basic components similar to older ‘spaghetti tube’ emitter systems of the 1960s, our improvements include filters designed for ultra-low pressures, easy-to-use fittings, and inexpensive collapsible header tanks. Important design criteria include not only high flow at low pressures, but also manufacturing simplicity. After hundreds of controlled tests and farmers’ field trials, our locally manufactured drip sets were first offered for sale by private dealers countrywide in 2008, supported by our network of promotion staff located in most of the country’s states and divisions. We continue to develop system improvements and support an on-farm demonstration and farmer education program to promote this “new” technology. Support materials include illustrated installation guides, system design software, videos, and an easy-to-use water requirement calculator (the Water Wheel) for fruit and vegetable crops. Over 5000 small farm drip systems have been installed in Myanmar since 2008 and the number of satisfied customers is increasing at an accelerating pace.