PHOTO: SCORRES
WATER TECHNOLOGY ▶▶▶
Micro-irrigation could double crop yield and halve water use
BY RENÉ KOERHUIS T
he system, developed by scientists at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh (Scotland), combines a highly local- ised weather forecast with local
know-how on irrigation needs and soil condi- tions and has been trialled as part of the Smart Control of Rural Renewable Energy and Stor- age project (Scorres). The project won the Rushlight Water Management Award and Rushlight Innovation Award earlier this year at a ceremony in London (UK).
90% of India’s freshwater According to Scorres, reducing water consump- tion and improving irrigation techniques in In- dia is vital as currently, 600 million people are at high risk of surface water supply disruption. Agriculture accounts for 90% of India’s fresh- water withdrawal, 18% of total electricity and 15% of total diesel use. 54% of India faces ex- tremely high-water stress, and farmers are in- creasingly indebted due to the volatility of crop yields and prices. At the Buddha garden trial farm in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, eight crops were grown using the Scorres precision irrigation system: lady’s fingers, lettuce, basil, basella, pumpkin, corn, rocket and long beans. Local farmers’ knowledge on irrigation and soil con- ditions for each of these crops are scheduled onto the cloud-based system. Scorres refines the irrigation schedule by using its local weath- er forecast, soil moisture conditions, evapora- tion modelling and grid outage information to continually adapt the schedule and ensure the crops receive exactly the right volume of water, at the exact time that they need it. Martin Scherfler from Auroville Consulting, oversaw the installation of the irrigation system and has been monitoring the field trials. He says: “Existing irrigation control systems in India are typically manual, or rely on time clocks that have a lack of monitoring oversight. Additional- ly, heavy subsidies and, in some states, even free electricity for the agricultural sector in India
A cloud-based, micro-irrigation system tested on a farm in Auroville, India has cut water use by up to 80%, doubled the crop yield and could relieve the environmental stress that agriculture places on India’s natural resources.
has prohibited farmers from investing in solar pumps. Reducing pumping demands through precision irrigation will make solar pumps more financially competitive for farmers. This project removes the need for costly hardware, and cre- ates a more affordable, cloud-based solution for smart irrigation. Indian farmers are enthusiastic about using it to improve their farming and have worked with us to make this trial a success: their knowledge has been fundamental in developing the model.”
Across India and into China The Scorres project is funded by Innovate UK and led by Heriot-Watt University, with
partners
Auraventi.com, Auroville Consulting, Findhorn Foundation College and CSR Auro- ville Centre for Scientific Research. Professor Eddie Owens, director of Heri- ot-Watt University’s Energy Academy and leader of the project, said: “Our irrigation sys- tem reduced water and energy use by up to 80%, and in some of the trials the crop yield doubled, enabling farmers to grow bigger vegetables and fruits, faster. These results are extremely encouraging and have the poten- tial to create a more resource efficient and sustainable future for the global agricultural sector. A next step will be to expand our trial across India and into China.”
At the Buddha garden trial farm in Auroville, eight crops were grown using the precision irrigation system. It enables farmers to grow bigger vegetables and fruits, faster.
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