ABSTRACT

Water conservation and food security are some of the problems facing developing countries. The challenges of water conservation could be tackled by adopting the drip irrigation method. The drip irrigation system is an irrigation system that involves the artificial application of water to the base or root zone of plants in a controlled slow frequent and steady manner. This study was developed drip irrigation system for rural farmer on a small sale plot of an area of 7m X 5m with a water source of head tank which was filled up by use of water hose from a tank to the reservoir. The emitters were improvised using the hospital flow drip device. The performance evaluation was determined using volumetric measurements. The results showed that the distribution uniformity and application rate were 1.04 and 17 mm/hr respectively. The cost of the constructing the drip irrigation system was N37,350. The performance indicates that no maintenance is required. Hence, the equipment is thereby recommended for small holding farmers