1. Problem background and definition
The distribution of water not just for watering your grass is a necessity for farming. Countries that are heavily dependent on agriculture can benefit from a water irrigation system that can minimize labor and maximize efficiency in farming. Agriculture uses most of available fresh water resources and this use of fresh water resources will continue to be increases due to food demand increase and population growth. In some areas around the world even the use of fresh water is scarce due to the fact that major water pollution exists. Increased labor costs, stricter environmental regulations and increased competition for water resources from different areas , allows strong motivation for efficient Irrigation system.
2. Existing Solutions
In a recent trip to a country in Central America, El Salvador, I noticed how many people are dependent of agriculture for their livelihood. Farming is very popular in many parts of the country as it is a big part of the economy. El Salvador, being a very poor country sometimes there is lack of water resources and therefore irrigations becomes almost impossible to come by. During my trip I noticed that most farmers still take care of their harvest by manual watering. Not with water hoses but with buckets of water and traveling where the water needs to be dispersed. Not only is this intense manual labor, but it is not an adequate way to measure how much water the crops are receiving or have received. Manual labor of water irrigation requires a lot of attention and care. The thought of an automated irrigation system will not only reduce the amount of labor involved but will assure adequate water distribution. Automated irrigation system is feasible and cost effective for optimizing water resources for agricultural production. With an irrigation system, it can provide the proper amount of water needed for crops. An irrigation system accompanied with moisture sensors can increase farming efficiency almost 100% of what it is in this part of the country.
3. Project Goal
The purpose or goal of this project is to design an irrigation system that will disburse water evenly and efficiently with the use of components like moisture sensors.
4. Proposed Solution
This project is significant because it would help the agriculture industry in properly using water. The implications of the project are very great considering the amount of time, money and resources it saves. The project I have selected can be used as a reference for other projects of greater level such as GSM pump controller, weather updates using mobile phones and pest control just to name a few. This solution minimizes the water usage by supplying enough water to the soil. The system automatically waters the soil by checking its soil moisture contents.
5. Key Stakeholders
The key stakeholder in this project is my colleague with whom we work together in the same department of engineering. The main task he would perform is to assemble the necessary materials for designing this irrigation system and also to ensure that the results are excellent. I would then perform the remaining work to make the project a success with the help of my colleague. Other stakeholders include a mechanical engineer whose function will be to assemble the various parts and ensure that they are fixed well.
6. Assumptions and Constraints
Various assumptions and constraints were made.
6.1 Assumptions
We assume that there would be no wasted water and prosperous crop growth with the new irrigation system. It is also assumed that the moisture sensor will allow adequate water for the soil.
6.2 Constraints
Some of the constraints include 24 hours of conducting the research. Another constraint is that there will be 21 days of designing the new irrigation system.
7. Impact Analysis
7.1 Networking standards
Improved networking standards would have an impact on my project and proposed solution. With these standards, my design would be made effective by ordering the necessary tools and equipment needed for designing the new irrigation system.
7.2 Security and ethical
My design would be secure and reliable. It would be effective and could be used in every part of the world as its use is not restricted to a specific place or country. It would also be in accordance with the ethics of developing water irrigation as well as engineering ethics at large.
7.3 Social and legal
In society, most people are suffering from the lack of agriculture. The lack of properly maintained agriculture is due to inadequate irrigation systems. This proposal outlines how to design a new irrigation system that is more efficient and with improved performance. The design will be socially acceptable because it would solve the problem of poor water distribution.
7.4 Economic and target market
If the project is accepted, it would create job opportunities as many irrigation systems of new designs would be required. This would improve the agriculture field for most farmers or even companies. Moreover, it would also save individuals from the stress of spending much on other unreliable methods of water distribution.
8. Risks
Some risks that may be associated with this project include parts shortage while developing the water irrigation system. This might end up delaying the operations and thus extend the estimated duration for the completion of this project. Moreover, mother nature might also have an affect of how much water gets distributed. Another risk that could occur is theft. Stealing of the design components that are being used is a big risk.
9. Estimated Cost
The parts needed to create a water irrigation aren’t as expensive as one would suspect. It all depends on the size one is working with. The bigger the size the more piping you would need for the water distribution and therefore the cost rises. The project is estimated to cost about $200 for materials and equipment.
10. Estimated Duration
The estimated duration of the project is three weeks or approximately 21 days.
References
Grimes, D.W., and K.M. El-Zik. 1990. Cotton. p. 741–748. In B.A. Stewart and D.R. Nielsen (ed.) Irrigation of Agricultural Crops. Agron. Monogr. 30. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, Madison, WI.
Fisher, D.K. 2004. Simple and inexpensive lysimeters for monitoring reference- and crop-ET. Proceedings of the 25th Annual International Irrigation Conference, November 14-16, Tampa, Florida.
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