Experimental Investigations on Custom-made Porous Clay Capsule Assembly as Water Saving Technology for Small-Scale Farming

Abstract

In the vast rural areas agriculture with its allied sectors is the largest livelihood provider in India. It is also
a major contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India. Sustainable technologies are essential for holistic
rural agricultural development. Almost 60 percent of the rural farmers in India are characteristically cultivators of small
plots, cultivating land less than 1.0 hectare in size and are facing severe constraints of too little access to advanced
technologies and productive farming technologies. Irrigation sector being the largest consumer of water resources, with
the ever-increasing demand for food and fibers the selection and adoption of appropriate irrigation technologies by the
small and marginal farmers for greater sustainable production and better resource utilization cannot be overlooked. In
this context, the present study aimed at examining the applicability of ‘custom-made porous capsule assembly’ (CPCA)
as potential small-scale water-saving irrigation technique. On-farm experimentation on the plants of Green Peas and
Tomatoes at a farm located at village Jeeva near Dhrangadhara City of Surendranagar District of Gujarat were carried
out by fabricating a ‘custom-made porous capsule assembly’ (CPCA), which was capable of storing up to 8.50 liters of
water for studying its various aspects for comparison with the farmers’ regular practice of hand watering the basins. The
results revealed that when compared to basin method of irrigation by farmers’ regular practice of hand watering 55.95
% of water saving was possible with CPCA. Whereas the increase in yield of Green Peas with CPCA was 35.90 % and
that for Tomatoes under CPCA was also 8.53 %. The Benefit-Cost ratio for the CPCA was found to be 1.38. The CPCA is
quite eco-friendly and if the capsules can be manufactured in large quantity the cost of CPCA can be reduced
considerably and higher benefits can be attained. The water saving when tied with the improved yield makes the CPCA
highly profitable for the farmers who are facing the problems of water shortages and for those trying to eke a living out
of their small land-holdings. The simplicity and the manageability of CPCA can immensely add to an enabling
environment for farmer adoption. The proposed method has the potential to contribute to poverty alleviation among the
small farmers and can serve as an effective tool for affordable small-scale irrigated agriculture