Micro-irrigation

Indian Economy glossary

Also called: Drip and sprinkler irrigation · Topic: Land Reforms, the Green Revolution and Farm Subsidies · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

Micro-irrigation means watering crops in small, controlled amounts close to the plant roots, instead of flooding the whole field. The two main types are:

  • drip irrigation, where water falls drop by drop from pipes near the roots;
  • sprinkler irrigation, where water is sprayed like rain.

Less water is lost to evaporation or runoff. Fertiliser can be mixed into the water, so less fertiliser is wasted too. This matters because Green Revolution states have pumped out much of their groundwater. The government promotes micro-irrigation under PMKSY (2015), with the slogan "Per Drop More Crop".

Example

A sugarcane farmer in water-scarce Maharashtra switches from flooding the field to drip lines along each row of cane. The farmer pumps less groundwater, uses less fertiliser, and can water a larger area with the same well.

Don't confuse with

  • Flood (surface) irrigation: water flows over the whole field through channels. It is cheap to set up, but it wastes a lot of water.

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