Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Impact of modern irrigation practices on farm productivity in arid regions of Pakistan

Author(s):

Nadia Baig ¹, Amir Haider Malik ¹, Arif Alam ²*, Himayatuallah Khan ³, Mohamad Esham ⁴

Recieved Date: 2014-01-10, Accepted Date: 2014-03-25

Abstract:

The cropping sector in many developing countries is facing the challenge of how to increase yields and sustain crops under the arid or semi-arid conditions. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of pivot irrigation system on the farm productivity in rain-fed areas of Pakistan where the first pivots were installed. The primary data were gathered from the field and deliberated on how innovative irrigation and agronomic practices have resulted in ensuring water availability to their crops, during peak requirement periods and its distribution with uniformity. An econometric model was used to study the impact of mechanised irrigation on farm yield. It was revealed that the distribution uniformity and the coefficient of uniformity of the pivots under study were within an acceptable range, whereas, the best model estimates showed that the output elasticity of pivots were  highest. It was possible for the farmers to combat the water crisis in the region by using less amount of water with precision and uniform distribution as compared to traditional flood irrigation. Centre pivot irrigation system with required availability of water and energy provide the infrastructure that could be seen as a promising prospect to enhance crop productivity in arid regions of Pakistan.

Keywords:

Mechanised irrigation, water use efficiency, pivot irrigation, uniform distribution, farm yield

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2014
Volume: 12
Issue: 2
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 676-679

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