Micro (Drip) Irrigation for Small Vegetable Farms
Webinar Details
This event has been POSTPONED! It will be rescheduled for a later date.
When:
This event has been POSTPONED! It will be rescheduled for a later date.
Presenter(s):
- Hamid Farahani, Water Management Engineer, USDA NRCS East National Technology Support Center, Greensboro, NC
- Kelly Scott, Civil Engineer, USDA NRCS Central National Technology Support Center, Fort Worth, TX
- Jon Chilcote, Water Management Engineer, USDA NRCS West National Technology Support Center, Portland, OR
CEU Credits/Certificate Offered:
- Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) - 1.5 hour CCA - SW Credit
- Certificate of Participation
- Conservation Planner (CP) - 1.5 hour Conservation Planning Credit
Virtual Event Format:
Group Viewing Available:
This event has been POSTPONED! It will be rescheduled for a later date.
Join us as we discuss the basics of microirrigation terminology, layout, components, planning and design considerations with emphasis on small vegetable farms within the context of NRCS Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) Code 441 (Irrigation Systems, Microirrigation) and its criteria.
Microirrigation is defined as frequent application of small quantities of water as drops or miniature streams and spray through emitters or applicators placed along a water delivery pipeline. Micro, or more specifically drip, irrigation is the most preferred method of irrigating in small farm settings. Small farms in rural and peri-urban area typically range from a fraction of an acre to a few acres in size that may also include low and high tunnels. In urban settings, it is used to irrigate a host of backyard small containers and raise beds, rooftop plots, and larger community gardens to name a few. Regardless of the size, microirrigation systems must be planned, designed, installed, and maintained properly or the system will perform poorly or even fail. The focus in this webinar is on small farms in rural settings with limited discussion on the unique challenges faced by irrigating in inner-city and urban environments. Access to capital, reliable water with acceptable quality, and initial design and installation are a few of the challenges facing adoption of microirrigation in small farms. Proper operation and maintenance are equally important. Observations suggest there is a lack of desire on the part of most third-party designers to engage small settings and a need for enhancing farmers’ technical knowledge of micro systems. This webinar is intended to enhance in-house awareness of key planning and design considerations for microirrigation in small farms with participants also exposed to design tools, templates, and other information resources, handouts, and factsheets.
A typical small vegetable farm with multiple small fields and high tunnels. Photo taken in Montgomery County, NC
This webinar is presented by USDA NRCS Science and Technology. Contact Jennifer Ryan, Science & Technology Training Library content manager, for more information about this webinar.
Audio is Computer Broadcast only | Live captions
NOTE: A "view" button will be available within one week of the live presentation date to access the on-demand recording of this webinar.
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