At a time when organic farming is gaining popularity in Kerala, there are now more options for farmers. ‘Wick irrigation’ is a latest technique developed by Kamalam Joseph, a scientist at the Centre for Water Resource Development and Management (CWRDM) in Kozhikode, with an aim to facilitating farming even when there is scarcity of water.
‘Wick Irrigation’ (termed Thiri Nana in Malayalam) reduces the water consumption for agriculture to a great extent. It is specifically designed for terrace cultivation, of mostly vegetables, in grow bags. A specially designed wick of 30-cm length and 1.5 inches width is inserted through a hole at the bottom of the grow bag. Half of its length goes up to the surface of the soil while the rest is inserted into a bottle containing water. The wick sucks up the water supplying only what is necessary for the plant.
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The CWRDM had trained around 60 technicians from different parts of the State earlier in the year to provide expert help to those who wish to implement wick irrigation along with other irrigation and water conservation methods. Satheesh Kumar, one such expert in Kozhikode district, said that it took around two weeks to exhaust one-litre water.
The experts have formed a water management task force to reach out to the prospective farmers all over the State. The task force members also give guidance in drip irrigation, aqua culture, Kitchen ponding, rain water harvesting and pisciculture. Kitchen ponding is the method of constructing a 1-metre deep pond near the kitchen for rearing fishes. Well charging is an effective method practised by the task force for rain water harvesting. Interested farmers can contact Santhosh Kumar on 9446695744.