Gravity Drip Irrigation in Agricultural Communities of Ceará

Abstract

The gravity drip irrigation with microtubes is a low cost technology that can increase the production in Northeastern agricultural communities of Brazil. The present work aimed to evaluate the technical viability and the influence of the use of gravity drip irrigation with microtubes in the improvement of the production in Ceará agricultural communities. Thirty gravity drip irrigation kits with microtubes were designed and installed. The communities’ performance with de irrigation system was evaluated, and the conclusions were that the kit collaborated with the development of the agricultural activities, because most of the communities in the project (75%) were producing with the irrigation kit. Besides, the good technical performance of the system (UD = 87%), in field condition, shows the potential of the system for irrigation with high water application efficiency.