Factors Influencing Choice Of Irrigation Systems And Crop Water Requirement Of High Value Crops In Mwala, Machakos County, Kenyaong’Ina

Abstract

Selecting the best-suited irrigation system for a specific site considers a number of factors. These include initial and operating costs, labor and energy requirement, adaptability to farming operations, soil, climate and personal preference among others. A study was carried out mainly with a goal to assess the factors influencing the choice of irrigation technology and crop water requirement of high-value crops using the FAO CROPWAT model in Mwala Sub County, Machakos County. Specifically, the research sought to characterize irrigation methods practiced in Mwala, and factors influencing the choice and adoption of irrigation, to assess factors affecting farmers’ decisions on timing and application rates of irrigation water, and to determine the crop water requirement of most commonly grown high value crops in Mwala using the FAO CROPWAT model. A survey was conducted using the questionnaire-by-interview method and field experiments were done to obtain data on the factors influencing choice, operation and adoption of irrigation technology. Crop data for the FAO CROPWAT model was collected both directly from the field and from the questionnaire. Soil samples were also collected and analysed in the laboratory and climate data obtained from Kathumani meteorological station for the soil and climate data required by the model. The respondents of the questionnaire comprised of purposefully selected farmers registered under the Equity Group Foundation extension scheme. Amongst these were 82 farmers, 41 of which practiced supplemental irrigation and 41 practiced purely rain-fed agriculture. From the findings, it was revealed that irrigating farmers used drip, sprinkler, furrow and hosepipe irrigation methods. The results too revealed that farmers perceived pumped systems like drip, and sprinkler to cost more in terms of maintenance and installation expenses; they were also less difficult to use and required less labor and energy when compared to the other systems like hosepipe, furrow, and basin irrigation.