The Price of Sustainability of a Traditional Irrigation System in Northern Thailand

In recent years in northern Thailand, the traditional surface-water irrigation system known as muang fai has been challenged by the introduction of small-scale, groundwater pumping technology. This trend presents concerns about the sustainability of the system, as the new technology uses more water but produces lower-quality agricultural outputs. In this paper, we provide evidence that farmers who use relatively modern irrigation technology (ground water pumping systems) are willing to switch to a more traditional (hundreds of years old) and more sustainable surface water irrigation system. In the Sop Rong region in northern Thailand, we surveyed 570 longan farmers, approximately half being muang fai members and half using pumped groundwater. We designed an experiment for the second group to check whether they were interested in becoming muang fai members in a scenario where they have access to the canal system. We found that almost half of them were willing to pay fees to become members and that the negative relationship between membership fees and the willingness to join is robust after controlling for all other relevant factors. Despite this positive result for sustainability, suggesting that there is a price at which many farmers would be willing to switch to a more water-saving system, few farmers are making the shift. We conclude that there are strong social pressures that discourage them from doing so. Such social influences are probably an important and often overlooked determinant of efforts to achieve sustainability.

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Empowerment and Tech Adoption: Introducing the Treadle Pump Triggers Farmers’ Innovation in Eastern Ethiopia

10.20944/preprints201808.0261.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Shimelis Beyene ◽

Teshome Regassa ◽

Belaineh Legesse ◽

Martha Mamo ◽

Tsegaye Tadesse

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

New Technology ◽

Labor Demand ◽

Pilot Project ◽

External Support ◽

Small Scale ◽

Eastern Ethiopia ◽

Well Drilling ◽

Irrigation Technology ◽

Technology Introduction

In 2013, thirty-eight treadle pumps (TPs) were installed as low-cost technology introduction for small-scale irrigation in eastern Ethiopia. This pilot project also trained six farmers on tube well excavation, installation and maintenance of pumps. In June 2015, researchers visited nine of the 38 TP villages, and found only two functional TPs. The rest were replaced with a new technology developed by the trained farmers. Adopters of the new technology stated that the limited water output and high labor demand of the conventional TP did not optimally fulfil their irrigation water requirements. The new technology had spread quickly to more than one hundred households due to three key factors. First, farmers’ innovative modifications of the initial excavation technique addressed the discharge limitations of the conventional TP by excavating boreholes with wider diameter. Second, local ownership of the new technology, including skills used in well drilling and manufacturing excavation implement, made the new irrigation technology affordable and accessible to the majority of households. Third, this innovation spread organically without any external support, confirming its sustainability. Farmers, empowered by training, gained more control in developing technology options tailored to local needs and conditions of their communities.

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Empowerment and Tech Adoption: Introducing the Treadle Pump Triggers Farmers’ Innovation in Eastern Ethiopia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10093268 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 3268

Author(s):

Shimelis Beyene ◽

Teshome Regassa ◽

Belaineh Legesse ◽

Martha Mamo ◽

Tsegaye Tadesse

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

New Technology ◽

Labor Demand ◽

Pilot Project ◽

External Support ◽

Small Scale ◽

Eastern Ethiopia ◽

Well Drilling ◽

Irrigation Technology ◽

Technology Introduction

In 2013, thirty-eight treadle pumps (TPs) were installed as low-cost technology introduction for small-scale irrigation in eastern Ethiopia. This pilot project also trained six farmers on tube well excavation, as well as the installation and maintenance of pumps. In June 2015, researchers visited nine of the thirty-eight TP villages and found only two TPs functioning as originally installed. The rest were replaced with a new technology developed by the trained farmers. Farmers, empowered by training, gained more control in developing technology options tailored to local needs and conditions of their communities. Adopters of the new technology stated that the limited water output and high labor demand of the conventional TP did not optimally fulfil their irrigation water requirements. The new technology had spread quickly to more than one hundred households due to three key factors. First, farmers’ innovative modifications of the initial excavation technique addressed the discharge limitations of the conventional TP by excavating boreholes with wider diameter. Second, local ownership of the new technology, including skills used in well drilling and manufacturing excavation implements, made the modified irrigation technology affordable and accessible to the majority of households. Third, this innovation spread organically without any external support, confirming its sustainability.

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Automated Microcontroller-Based Irrigation System

Examining the Impact of Deep Learning and IoT on Multi-Industry Applications - Advances in Web Technologies and Engineering ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7511-6.ch004 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 45-60

Author(s):

Mmathapelo Makana ◽

Nnamdi Nwulu ◽

Eustace Dogo

Keyword(s):

Water Conservation ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Irrigation Systems ◽

Sensor Reading ◽

Moisture Sensor ◽

Soil Moisture Sensor ◽

Water Pumping ◽

Input Signals ◽

Level Sensor ◽

Traditional Irrigation

Traditional irrigation systems do not take into consideration the conservation of water. Therefore, automating the plant watering systems to reduce water wastage and loss would be key to water conservation as a means of making use of water wisely and responsibly. In this chapter, a smart irrigation system that helps control the amount of water applied to crops is proposed and developed. The system controls the ON/OFF state of the water pumping motor based on the soil moisture sensor reading. Other sensors incorporated in the system are the water level sensor and light dependent resistor. The system leverages on the Arduino Uno microcontroller development board to collect input signals from the three sensors. The water pump operates depending on the value of the output signal received by the relay module. This technique of watering is feasible and very affordable and reduces human intervention in field watering.

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Economic Prospects for Sprinkle Irrigating Rice in Texas

Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics ◽

10.1017/s0081305200025693 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 103-117

Author(s):

Ronald C. Griffin ◽

M. Edward Rister ◽

Michael R. Parker ◽

Garry N. McCauley

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Net Present Value ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Sprinkler Irrigation ◽

Capital Budgeting ◽

Rice Production ◽

Economic Feasibility ◽

Irrigated Rice ◽

Flat Rate ◽

Irrigation Technology

AbstractThe economic feasibility of investing in sprinkler irrigation technology for rice production is investigated using linear programming and capital budgeting to identify the net annual benefits and net present value, respectively. Groundwater and both flat rate and volumetrically priced surface water sources of irrigation water are analyzed. Under typical practices occurring in rice production operations in the Texas Rice Belt, sprinkler irrigation technology is not profitable at current water costs. Producers using volumetrically priced surface water have the greatest incentive to consider sprinkler irrigation, but water prices must increase by over 250 percent for the investment in a sprinkler irrigation system to become attractive. Yield reductions associated with sprinkle-irrigated rice are a significant disincentive. For equivalent flood- and sprinkle-irrigated rice yields, an increase in water prices of over 175 percent is required before the investment in a sprinkler irrigation system becomes economically feasible.

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Managing the impacts of mining on Ghana’s water resources from a legal perspective

Journal of Energy and Natural Resource Management ◽

10.26796/jenrm.v1i2.33 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 156-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nasirudeen Abdul Fatawu

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Water Resources ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Large Scale ◽

Small Scale ◽

Mining Activities ◽

Protection Agency ◽

Environmental Laws ◽

Mining Areas ◽

Legal Perspective

Recent floods in Ghana are largely blamed on mining activities. Not only are lives lost through these floods, farms andproperties are destroyed as a result. Water resources are diverted, polluted and impounded upon by both large-scale minersand small-scale miners. Although these activities are largely blamed on behavioural attitudes that need to be changed, thereare legal dimensions that should be addressed as well. Coincidentally, a great proportion of the water resources of Ghana arewithin these mining areas thus the continual pollution of these surface water sources is a serious threat to the environmentand the development of the country as a whole. The environmental laws need to be oriented properly with adequate sanctionsto tackle the impacts mining has on water resources. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure needs to bestreamlined and undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and not the company itself.

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Farmers' willingness to adopt irrigation for quinoa in communities of the Central Altiplano of Bolivia

Revista Latinoamericana de Desarrollo Económico ◽

10.35319/lajed.201116143 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 7-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cristal Taboada ◽

Armando Mamani ◽

Dirk Raes ◽

Erik Mathijs ◽

Magalí García ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Deficit Irrigation ◽

New Technology ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Average Yield ◽

Abiotic Conditions ◽

Surplus Production ◽

Irrigation Technology ◽

Willingness To Adopt ◽

Bolivian Altiplano ◽

Main Factors

Quinoa is considered a strategic crop because it is well adapted to the adverse abiotic conditions of the Bolivian Altiplano; however, the average yield is low. Previous studies have demonstrated that quinoa yield would increase with deficit irrigation technology. Nevertheless, to irrigate quinoa is not a normal practice in the farming systems of the Altiplano. This paper examines the main factors that determine the attitude of farmers towards adopting deficit irrigation using a sample of 137 surveys in seven communities of the Central Altiplano. Statistic analysis demonstrates that the most important factors influencing farmers' willingness for irrigation adoption are the acreage planted with quinoa, quantity of surplus production for trading, and having irrigation experience. Also, the age and education level were important to know willingness to adopt a new technology. Therefore, deficit irrigation is more likely to be performed in area where farmers own larger fields and where there is already certain type of irrigation.

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The Socio-Economics Factors in Family Farms with Different Economic Sustainability Levels from Central and Eastern Europe

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158262 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8262

Author(s):

Katarzyna Smędzik-Ambroży ◽

Marta Guth ◽

Adam Majchrzak ◽

Andreea Cipriana Muntean ◽

Silvia Stefania Maican

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Policy Instruments ◽

Small Scale ◽

Economic Sustainability ◽

Family Farms ◽

Small Family ◽

Generational Changes

Economic sustainability plays an important role in shaping conditions for economic growth and social development. The importance of answering the question about the level of sustainability of family farms results from the fact that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, apart from exceptions (e.g. the Czech Republic and Slovakia), are characterized by a fragmented agrarian structure. Hence, the main goal of this article was to answer two questions: 1) whether the countries of Central and Eastern Europe differ in the level of economic sustainability of small family farms; and 2) whether the same socioeconomic factors impact similarly on the level of economic sustainability of small family farms from countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The study was based on surveys conducted in small family farms: in 2018 from Poland (672 farms) and in 2019 in four other countries (Lithuania; 999 farms, Romania; 834 farms, Serbia; 523 farms, Moldova; 530 farms). The publication includes a critical analysis of the literature, structure analysis and correlation analysis. The results show the occurrence of large differences between the economic sustainability of small family farms from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The research indicates that the larger the area of a small-scale family farm, the greater its economic sustainability. The productivity of these farms increases with their economic sustainability. The results also prove a negative relationship between the age of the farmer and the economic sustainability of their farm in all analysed countries. These trends were found in all analysed countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The results of the analyses support the conclusion that agricultural policy instruments aimed at increasing the economic sustainability of small family farms should lead to: land consolidation, a decrease in the age of farm owners through generational changes, and a decrease in employment in agriculture, which would lead to a reduction in labour input in the agricultural sector.

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Monitoring Lakes Surface Water Velocity with SAR: A Feasibility Study on Lake Garda, Italy

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13122293 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 2293

Author(s):

Marina Amadori ◽

Virginia Zamparelli ◽

Giacomo De Carolis ◽

Gianfranco Fornaro ◽

Marco Toffolon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Wind Waves ◽

Test Site ◽

Water Velocity ◽

Surface Velocity ◽

Medium Size ◽

Small Scale ◽

Lake Garda ◽

Marine Applications

The SAR Doppler frequencies are directly related to the motion of the scatterers in the illuminated area and have already been used in marine applications to monitor moving water surfaces. Here we investigate the possibility of retrieving surface water velocity from SAR Doppler analysis in medium-size lakes. ENVISAT images of the test site (Lake Garda) are processed and the Doppler Centroid Anomaly technique is adopted. The resulting surface velocity maps are compared with the outputs of a hydrodynamic model specifically validated for the case study. Thermal images from MODIS Terra are used in support of the modeling results. The surface velocity retrieved from SAR is found to overestimate the numerical results and the existence of a bias is investigated. In marine applications, such bias is traditionally removed through Geophysical Model Functions (GMFs) by ascribing it to a fully developed wind waves spectrum. We found that such an assumption is not supported in our case study, due to the small-scale variations of topography and wind. The role of wind intensity and duration on the results from SAR is evaluated, and the inclusion of lake bathymetry and the SAR backscatter gradient is recommended for the future development of GMFs suitable for lake environments.

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The Economics of the Soy Kit as an Appropriate Household Technology for Food Entrepreneurs

Food and Nutrition Bulletin ◽

10.1177/0379572120981183 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 104-115

Author(s):

Chungmann Kim ◽

Peter Goldsmith

Keyword(s):

International Development ◽

Poverty Reduction ◽

New Technology ◽

Research Question ◽

Development Project ◽

Small Scale ◽

Resource Base ◽

Credit Access ◽

Feed The Future ◽

High Level

Background: The ability for women to operate as food entrepreneurs presents opportunities to leverage at-home production technologies that not only support family nutrition but also generate income. To these ends, the Feed the Future Malawi Agriculture Diversification Activity recently launched a development project involving a new technology, the Soy Kit. The Activity, a USAID (United States Agency for International Development) funded effort, sought to improve nutrition utilizing an underutilized local and highly nutritious feedstuff, soybean, through a woman’s entrepreneurship scheme. Objective: The USAID funded effort provides the overarching research question, whether the Soy Kit is a sustainable technology for delivering nutrition and income through a women’s entrepreneurship scheme. If true, then development practitioners will have a valuable tool, and the associated evidence, to address the important crosscutting themes, of nutrition, poverty, entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment. To answer this research question, the research team first evaluates the underlying production economics of the kit to measure profitability, return on investment, and operational performance. Second, the team qualitatively and quantitatively assesses the kit’s overall appropriateness as a technology for the developing world. Methods: The team follows the schema of Bower and Brown and utilizes descriptive statistics, and financial techniques to conduct an assessment of the economics and technical appropriateness of the Soy Kit technology. Results: The results show a high level of appropriateness across a number of metrics. For example, the payback period from cash flow is under 6 months and the annual return on capital is 163% when entrepreneurs utilize a domestically sourced kit valued at US$80. Conclusion: The technology matches well with the rhythm of household economy, in particular women’s labor availability and resource base. Businesses earn significant returns on capital thus appear to be sustainable without donor subsidy. At the same time, available capital to finance kit entrepreneurs appears to be scarce. More research needs to take place to address the credit access question, in order to make small-scale kit entrepreneur truly self-reliant; the effects on poverty reduction at the household and village level; and nutrition improvement among the consumers.

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