Sustainable farming integrated with rainwater harvesting
M.J. PRABU
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The inner sides of the pond are covered with a polyethylene film
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— Photo: CPCRI
HOLDING CAPACITY: About 6,000 fingerlings of African catfish variety were released into the pond, which was covered fishing nets.
RAINWATER HARVESTING is considered as an effective method for managing water scarcity in areas, which have inadequate groundwater supply.
Even though Kasaragod region receives copious rainfall during the monsoon, the region faces acute water shortage during the summer, as groundwater evaporation is rapid, according to Mr. Manoj P. Samuel, Technical officer of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod.
Farmers in the region depend mainly on rivers, springs or tube wells to meet their irrigation requirements during the summer, according to him.
Mr. K.J. Kaduthodil Mathachan is a progressive farmer of Kasaragod district of Kerala who has made use of rainwater harvesting technologies from CPCRI to make his farming enterprise a success.
Mr. Kaduthodil's one-hectare coconut garden (Kuttiyadi local variety) is located in the Northeastern part of Kasaragod district.
Crop varieties
Though coconut is his main crop, he cultivates other crops such as vanilla, arecanut, pepper, banana and vegetables as intercrops. "Initially I sunk bore wells to overcome the shortage but the water table started depleting during April-May and I had to face severe losses in my yield," said Mr. Kaduthodil.
To overcome the water shortage and to effectively utilise rainwater which would otherwise be wasted he has constructed a storage tank with technical guidance from CPCRI, which has a capacity to hold about 1.76 million litres of water.
Water percolation
"The inner sides of the pond are covered with a polyethylene film commonly known as silpolin to prevent water from percolating into the ground," said Mr. Samuel. The total cost of constructing the pond is about Rs.1.75 lakhs.
The tank got its water supply from a natural river running close by and from the rains during the monsoon, according to Mr. Kaduthodil. "Though there is no seepage or percolation loss from the pond due to the lining, some amount of water is lost through evaporation," said Mr. Kaduthodil.
Reducing evaporation
"To reduce evaporation I have grown an aquatic crop called Salvinia, as a cover crop over the water surface on the pond," he said.
About 6,000 fingerlings of African catfish varietyat the rate of Rs. 2 per fingerling were also released into the pond, which was covered fishing nets.
The dried aquatic plants were used as a good mulching material for his coconut trees. The water from the pond was also used to irrigate his crops.
Mr. Kaduthodil had harvested about 2,000 kg of fishes last year and had sold them at Rs.40 per kg in the market. He had earned a net income of Rs.80,000 from the sale of the fishes alone. Before the tank was constructed, he was harvesting about 3,000 nuts from his 60 coconut trees (average nut production is 50 coconuts per palm in one year).
Now he is harvesting about 6,000 nuts every year. The coconuts, after domestic use, are sold as dry copra. "I earned a net income of Rs.34,858 from the sale of 1,162 kg of dry copra at the rate of Rs.30 per kg, last year," he said.
From his banana intercropping Mr. Kaduthodil has earned a net income of Rs.1,600 (about 40 bunches at the rate of Rs.40 per bunch)
For more information readers can contact Mr. Kaduthodil Mathachan, Kaduthodil house, Malakkallu post, Rajapuram, Kasaragod- 671 532, phone: 0467-2226736
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