Chapters 5.63

5.63 -Fruit Tree Bottle Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers

Cameron Butler, University of Guelph, Canada

Suggested citation for this chapter.

Butler,C. (2022) Fruit Tree Bottle Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers, In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org

Introduction

In this paper I am going to describe how it is possible for smallholder farmers to use bottle irrigation to supply water to fruit trees and home gardens. Bottle irrigation is a method of reusing plastic water bottles to set up a drip irrigation farming system (FAO, 2016). The plastic water bottles can be a cheap irrigation system.

Background to drip irrigation

A common form of irrigation is a drip irrigation system; in this system water is conveyed under pressure through a pipe system to the fields, where it drips slowly onto the soil through emitters or drippers which are located close to the plants (FAO, 2016). This system is designed this way to water the crops directly onto the roots, thus increasing resource efficiency (FAO,2016). A functional irrigation system will evenly distribute water between crops (Frielander, 2013). A drip irrigation system overall makes maintaining crops easier and prevents human error such as overwatering and water runoff.

Use of bottles to irrigate fruit trees and home gardens

The system that I described above is very effective and efficient and would assist the smallholder farmer significantly, but it is not accessible. A smallholder farmer would not have the resources available to them on their own to create a traditional drip irrigation system. Luckily for smallholders, bottle irrigation is a cheap, simple, and eco friendly method of drip irrigation. Instead of a pressurised pipe system, bottle irrigation drips directly into the crop from the bottle. This can be achieved by poking holes into the bottle, burying it in the soil close to the crop, and filling it with water. Once buried, the soil will block the water from exiting the bottle right away, it will instead drain water overtime directly into the crop roots when needed. This system is easy to maintain, as all the farmers must do is refill the bottle when the water runs low. Overall, the bottle irrigation system has all the benefits of the traditional drip irrigation system without the cost and complications, making this an accessible method for smallholder farmers.

Background to the benefits of irrigating fruit trees

Once the bottle irrigation system is set up, it allows an efficient system for smallholder farmers to water fruit trees without wasting time and resources. Fruit farming has high demand in Africa, giving local farmers the opportunity to sell exotic fruits to local markets like, avocados, oranges, mangos, and papayas (Cemansky, 2015). Home gardeners in Africa also have a market to farm indigenous fruits which are becoming scarce due to deforestation. There is a high demand for these fruits in the African diet and in the ecosystem. Researchers and local farmers have been collaborating to restore these local fruits (Cemansky, 2015).

Bottle irrigation can assist in fruit farming by cutting the cost and labour needed to maintain these farms. If you are interested in setting up a bottle irrigation system, I will provide a step-by-step guide on how to do that. I will also provide videos and helpful links that can help you get started in the last section.

All the figures below are provided by (Reinhardt, 2018).

Step 1 Reuse and clean a plastic bottle.

Step 2 Poke holes in the cap of the bottle for water to drip out.

Step 3 Fill up the bottle with water and put the cap back on.

Step 4 Create a hole near your crop.

Step 5 Place the bottle into the hole so the water can flow into the plant, and replenish water when it runs out.

Once your irrigation system is set up all you must do is refill the water once it runs low and maintain the bottle and replace it if needed.

Critical Analysis

Bottle irrigation overall is a very effective farming method for small scale farmers due to how simple and cheap it is. It prevents overwatering and water runoff which is very important in locations where water is scarce. The reuse of plastic water bottles is good for the environment. While there are benefits to smallholder fruit tree farmers, fruit trees often are not the best crops for smallholders to invest in due to fruit trees taking many years to grow to maturity. While maturity rates can be improved , it still requires years (Cemansky, 2015).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the bottle drip irrigation system for fruit trees can be very lucrative for smallholder farmers. making an efficient water system that is cheap, simple, easy to maintain, prevent cost and labour, prevents water waste, and is easy to manage. Overall the problem is that fruit trees may require too much of an investment for a smallholder farmer due to the long time required for the tree to produce fruits.

Helpful Links to Get Started

Here are some helpful links for setting up a bottle irrigation system including videos and articles.

How’d they do that: Drip irrigation https://www.worldvision.org/economic-empowerment-news-stories/how-drip-irrigation

Bottle drip irrigation: Using discarded plastic bottles to create your own free drippers https://ecofriend.com/bottle-drip-irrigation-using-discarded-plastic-bottles-create-own-free-drippers.html

Case Study – Bottle Drip Irrigation https://toolbox.coffeeandclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/Case-study_Drip-Irrigation.pdf

Phale’s 2L drip irrigation system makes a splash https://www.foodformzansi.co.za/phales-2l-drip-irrigation-system-makes-a-splash/

How to make DRIP IRRIGATION with recycled plastic bottles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGZmGHVgL7s

Zambia: Farmers use plastic bottles to water crops in dry season https://wire.farmradio.fm/farmer-stories/zambia-farmers-use-plastic-bottles-to-water-crops-in-dry-season/

Drip Irrigation Unit https://kuzi.ke/shop/drip-irrigation-unit/

Plastic Bottle Drip Water Irrigation System Very Simple Easy ll DIY home drip irrigation system https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=FDEtBeHEyCY

Plastic bottles irrigation system: Farming all seasons with ease https://guardian.ng/features/agro-care/plastic-bottles-irrigation-system-farming-all-seasons-with-ease/

If you want to start an irrigation system the place to go for information or supplies is either Jain irrigation systems, the largest micro irrigation company in the world, and the largest manufacturer of plastic pipes for irrigation which you can find at this link: https://www.jains.com/index.html Or IDE a company who assists small farmers in Africa Asia and central America. A link to their website is here: https://www.ideglobal.org/

References

1.FAO (2016). Drip Irrigation. Retrieved November 23, 2016, from http://www.fao.org/docrep/s8684e/s8684e00.htm#Contents

2.Friedlander, L., Tal, A., & Lazarovitch, N. (2013). Technical considerations affecting adoption of drip irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural Water Management, 126, 125-132.

3.USAID. (2014, March 21). Haiti: Drip Irrigation Makes New Farm Possible. Retrieved December 02, 2016, from https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/water-and-sanitation/from-the-field/drip-irrigation

4.Farmer, T. (n.d.). 2024 drip irrigation system cost - drip line install prices. HomeGuide. https://homeguide.com/costs/drip-irrigation-system-cost#kit

5. Lanthier,C. (2022) Contour farming on hillsides to prevent erosion. In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org

6. Cemansky, R. (2015). Africa’s Indigenous Fruit Trees: A Blessing in Decline. Environmental Health Perspectives, 123(12), A291–A296. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.123-A291

7.Reinhardt, L. (2018, July 31). How’d they do that: Drip Irrigation. World Vision. https://www.worldvision.org/economic-empowerment-news-stories/how-drip-irrigation