Abstract:
A study was caried out to identify the irrigation methods used by farmers in
Kaluthawalai village, Batticaloa. Using structured questionnaires, data on
socioeconomic status of farmers and farming were collected from randomly selected
60 farmers through personal interview. The collected data were analyzed by using the
Minitab package. The results revealed that the average age of vegetable farmers was
35-55 years old, 91.67% of farmers were male and 8.33% of farmers were female.
Most of the farms having sandy loam soil and most of the farmers (61.77%) are using
manual irrigation method. Few numbers (38.33%) of farmers are using the sprinkler
irrigation method. Lack of technological knowledge might be the reason for these
issues. The problems faced by the farmers who are using manual irrigation method
were high requirement of water, water wastage and electricity cost. The problem faced
by the farmers who are using sprinkler irrigation method was high initial cost. While
results show that usage of springer irrigation helps farmers to reduce cost of
production by minimizing electricity consumption. Springer method of irrigation is a
cost-effective method of irrigation and water usage efficiency is also high in this
method.
