Irrigation is when people add water to plants, to help them grow when there is not enough rain. Irrigation water can be pumped from rivers, natural lakes or lakes created by dams, from wells or allowed to flow to the fields by or open canals.
There are many different types of irrigation methods. The most common ones are:
- Sprinkler Irrigation
- Drip irrigation
- Surface irrigation
- Sub surface irrigation
- Manual irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation mimics natural rainfall where water falls on the plants. In sprinkler irrigation, water is moved through pipes to sprinklers scattered around and within the field.
In drip irrigation, water drips directly to the roots of plants from pipes which have small holes or special emitters spaced along the pipe.
In Surface irrigation, water from a source such as rivers, pipes, dams, canals e.t.c. floods the soil surface. Surface irrigation uses a lot of water compared to other irrigation methods.
