Irrigation development in Eritrea: potentials and constraints: Proceedings of the workshop of AEAS and SLM Programme Eritrea

Development of irrigation, which is of crucial importance in Eritrea, is perceived by many as the main technique for improving the precarious food security situation in this Sahelian country in the Horn of Africa. The present publication presents the outcome of a nationwide workshop held in 2003, which brought together administrators, scientists, and members of public development agencies and NGOs. These workshop participants presented experiences, lessons learnt, and ideas about how to move forward in relation to development of irrigation in Eritrea. Specifically, the publication deals with the following broad themes, lessons learnt, and experiences in Eritrea: · spate irrigation systems and measurement of performance, as well as experience with modernisation of spate irrigation systems in Eritrea · small-scale irrigation systems and their potentials and pitfalls, including development of low-cost micro irrigation · climate and irrigation, including rainfall forecasts · socio-economic aspects of irrigation, including gender questions, institutional requirements, and irrigation and livelihoods The publication contains an extensive summary in the Tigrinya language, in order to facilitate access to the key findings by local non-English-speaking stakeholders in irrigation development.

Irrigation development. History, customs, laws, and administrative systems relating to irrigations, water-courses, and waters in France, Italy, and Spain. The introductory part of the Report of the state engineer of California, on irrigation and the irrigation question.

"Authorities" at end of each chapter.

Development of land rental market and its effect on household farming in rural China : an empirical study in Zhejiang Province

This paper investigates the impact of land rental market development on the efficiency of labor allocation and land utilization in rural China. To test the hypothesis that the shadow wage of a rent-in household with limited off-farm opportunities will increase with the development of a land rental market for households, a statistical comparison between the shadow wage and the estimated market wage was conducted. The results showed that the shadow wage for both rent-in households and non-rent-in households was significantly lower than the market wage, but that the wage for the rent-in households was statistically higher than that for non-rent-in households in Fenghua and Deqing, the two counties surveyed in this study. In addition, the estimated marginal product of farmland for rent-in households was statistically higher than the actual land rent that those households paid, while a null hypothesis that the actual rental fee accepted by rent-out households is equivalent to the marginal product of farmland for those households was not rejected in Fenghua county where land transactions by mutual agreement were more prevalent. These results indicate that the development of the land rental market facilitates the efficiency of labor allocation and farmland utilization in rural China.

The competitiveness of domestic rice production in East Africa: A domestic resource cost approach in Uganda

The rapid increase of rice imports in sub-Saharan Africa under the unstable situation in the world rice market during the 2000s has made it an important policy target for the countries in the region to increase self-sufficiency in rice in order to enhance food security. Whether domestic rice production can be competitive with imported rice is a serious question in East African countries that lie close, just across the Arabian Sea, to major rice exporting countries in South Asia. This study investigates the international competitiveness of domestic rice production in Uganda in terms of the domestic resource cost ratio. The results show that rainfed rice cultivation, which accounts for 95% of domestic rice production, does not have a comparative advantage with respect to rice imported from Pakistan, the largest supplier of imported rice to Uganda. However, the degree of non-competitiveness is not serious, and a high possibility exists for Uganda’s rainfed rice cultivation to become internationally competitive by improving yield levels by applying more modern inputs and enhancing labour productivity. Irrigated rice cultivation, though very limited in area, is competitive even under the present input-output structure when the cost of irrigation infrastructure is treated as a sunk cost. If the cost of installing irrigation infrastructure and its operation and maintenance is taken into account, the types of irrigation development that are economically feasible are not large-scale irrigation projects, but are small- and microscale projects for lowland rice cultivation and rain-water harvesting for upland rice cultivation.

Integrated economic-hydrologic analysis of policy responses

Water is a vital resource, but also a critical limiting factor for economic and social development in many parts of the world. The recent rapid growth in human population and water use for social and economic development is increasing the pressure on water resources and the environment, as well as leading to growing conflicts among competing water use sectors (agriculture, urban, tourism, industry) and regions (Gleick et al., 2009; World Bank, 2006). In Spain, as in many other arid and semi-arid regions affected by drought and wide climate variability, irrigated agriculture is responsible for most consumptive water use and plays an important role in sustaining rural livelihoods (Varela-Ortega, 2007). Historically, the evolution of irrigation has been based on publicly-funded irrigation development plans that promoted economic growth and improved the socio-economic conditions of rural farmers in agrarian Spain, but increased environmental damage and led to excessive and inefficient exploitation of water resources (Garrido and Llamas, 2010; Varela-Ortega et al., 2010). Currently, water policies in Spain focus on rehabilitating and improving the efficiency of irrigation systems, and are moving from technocratic towards integrated water management strategies driven by the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD).

Flow rate sprinkler development for site-specific irrigation

Due to the rapid depletion of water resources, water must be used more efficiently in agriculture to maintain current levels of yield in irrigated areas. The efficiency of irrigation systems can be increased by adjusting the amount of water applied to specific conditions of soil and crop, which may vary in a field. Taking into account spatial and temporal variability, it is evident that an equipment capable of providing different irrigation levels is necessary to meet the water requirement of the soil. This work aims to develop and evaluate a flow rate sprinkler to be used in center pivots or linear moving irrigation systems, with potential for utilization in irrigation scheduling. A prototype was developed by duplicating its calibrations, and discharge coefficient adjustment was carried out in the laboratory. To predict the flow rate, a successful model that represented the operation of the flow rate sprinkler was established. The calibration of the flow rate sprinkler prototype showed satisfactory statistical and technical results. Automation of the prototype was achieved by driving a step motor using communication from the parallel port of a microcomputer, which was controlled by a software developed for this purpose. The results were satisfactory and technically feasible.

Effect of trickle irrigation on root development of the wet bulb and 'pera' orange tree yield in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different microirrigation designs on root system distribution in wet bulb region, orange orchard yield and quality of orange fruits. The experiment was installed as random blocks with five treatments and four replicates in an orchard of 'Pêra' orange trees grafted on 'Cleopatra' mandarin rootstock. The treatments consisted of: one drip line (T1), two drip lines (T2), four drip lines (T3) per planting row, microsprinkler irrigation (T4) and without irrigation (T5). Irrigation treatments favored yield and ºBrix. The treatment with a single drip line (T1) showed the greatest quantity of roots in relation to the treatments T2 and T3.

Initial development of two eucalyptus hybrid submitted to irrigation

The eucalyptus offers several advantages compared to other forestry species and, by using the irrigation can increase productivity and decrease production time. The objective of the present study was to evaluate two hybrid eucalyptus (Grancam and Urograndis), no irrigation, dripping and micro sprinkler irrigated at 90, 120, 150 and 180 days after transplanting (DAT). The experiment was conducted at the experimental irrigation area in the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the municipality of Aquidauna - State of MS, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks, split plot with four blocks and two replications within each block, and the plots were composed by irrigation treatments (dripping, micro sprinkler irrigate and dry) and the subplots the hybrids (Grancam and Urograndis).The total area of the experiment had 3 hectares, where each plot consisted of 1 ha. It was evaluated plant height, stem diameter and canopy, stem basal area, the relationship between height and stem diameter, the relationship between height and canopy diameter and stem volume. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and compared by Tukey test at 5% probability. Irrigation systems and dripping sprinkle provide greater plant height, stem diameter, canopy diameter, stem basal area and stem volume.

Bud development, flowering and fruit set of Moringa oleifera Lam. (Horseradish Tree) as affected by various irrigation levels

Moringa oleifera is becoming increasingly popular as an industrial crop due to its multitude of useful attributes as water purifier, nutritional supplement and biofuel feedstock. Given its tolerance to sub-optimal growing conditions, most of the current and anticipated cultivation areas are in medium to low rainfall areas. This study aimed to assess the effect of various irrigation levels on floral initiation, flowering and fruit set. Three treatments namely, a 900 mm (900IT), 600 mm (600IT) and 300 mm (300IT) per annum irrigation treatment were administered through drip irrigation, simulating three total annual rainfall amounts. Individual inflorescences from each treatment were tagged during floral initiation and monitored throughout until fruit set. Flower bud initiation was highest at the 300IT and lowest at the 900IT for two consecutive growing seasons. Fruit set on the other hand, decreased with the decrease in irrigation treatment. Floral abortion, reduced pollen viability as well as moisture stress in the style were contributing factors to the reduction in fruiting/yield observed at the 300IT. Moderate water stress prior to floral initiation could stimulate flower initiation, however, this should be followed by sufficient irrigation to ensure good pollination, fruit set and yield.

Carbohydrates, growth and production of -roxo de valinhos- fig tree in initial development under irrigation management

The carbohydrates translocation and consequently growth and production of fig tree (Ficuscarica L.) vary according to the different management on cultivation conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the levels and total carbohydrates accumulation together with growth and “Roxo de Valinhos” fig trees production onimplementation of orchards in initial phase, cultivated with and without irrigation. We adopted a factorial arrangement (2 x 7) with four repetitions distributed in installments (with and without irrigation) subdivided in time (collect time). Destructive analyzes were performed at 40, 80, 120, 160, 200, 240 and 280 days after pruning (DAP) and are measured: stem diameter and branch, stem length and branch, number of leaves, internodes and fruit. Subsequently, the plant parts were sectioned to obtain the leaf area, length and roots volume, fresh and dry matter weight. The number, weight and total productivity of fruits were evaluated. The media of all growth attributes and production characteristics were higher in treatments with water irrigation. The total carbohydrate content was higher at 120 and 160 DAP and the carbohydrates accumulation was increasing for most institutions over the plants development, except for the leaves that showed a decrease in the levels at 160 DAP. The fruits showed greater carbohydrates accumulation in relation to the other evaluated organs.

Ohio River. Letter from the Secretary of War transmitting pursuant to section 1 of the River and harbor act approved January 21, 1927, and section 10 of the Flood control act approved May 15, 1928, a letter from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, dated August 14, 1935, submitting a report, together with accompanying papers and illustrations, containing a general plan for the improvement of the Ohio River for the purposes of navigation and efficient development of its water power, the control of floods, and the needs of irrigation.

"Report of the Board of engineers for rivers and harbors": p. 7-19.

Kalamazoo River, Mich. Letter from the Secretary of War transmitting report from the Chief of Engineers on Kalamazoo River, Mich., covering navigation, flood control, power development, and irrigation.

Mode of access: Internet.

Protection and development of Umatilla Rapids in the Columbia River : joint hearings before the Committees on Irrigation and Reclamation, Congress of the United States, Seventy-first Congress, third session on S. 2252 and H.R. 3720, bills to provide for the protection and development of the Umatilla Rapids in the Columbia River.

Hearings held January 15 and 16, 1931.

Rivers and canals; the flow, control, and improvement of rivers and the design, construction, and development of canals both for navigation and irrigation, with statistics of the traffic on inland waterways;

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