“Floods are not always a hazard. They may also sustain aquatic life and riverine biodiversity, recharge aquifers, enrich soilds and in some of the world’s poorest areas they are the main source of irrigation.” — Global Water Partnership (2000) ‘Toward water security: a framework for action
Spate irrigation is the art and science of managing floods for irrigation. It is unique to arid and semi-arid environments, found in the Middle East, North Africa, West Asia, East Africa and parts of Latin America.
In this video, Dr. Karim Nawaz describes some of the most important and most promising minor crops in the spate irrigated areas of Pakistan, and gives recommendations on how to develop the potential of such agricultural products as well
Spate farming is often characterized by a multi crop system in which a single field has more than one crop growing at the same time. Minor crops are mostly cultivated in multi crop systems under difficult conditions like moisture stress and seasonal variations. They can play an important role in achieving food security in arid areas, and may provide high value income opportunities for the local population.
Minor crops are grown for their local importance, usefulness and fit into the overall agricultural structure. Although the cultivated surface for minor crops may be less, their commercial value – like for spices and medicinal plants – may be higher than that of the main crop in such fields.
More info: http://www.spate-irrigation.org/library/spate-notes
Produced by: TheWaterChannel
Year: 2011
Language: English