Project gives farmers stable water supply
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For generations, farmers in the Bingjian irrigation area in Yunnan province’s Yuanmou county had to perform a laborious irrigation ballet, a delicate dance of cooperation and shared sacrifice heavily reliant on two reservoirs.
Every 15 to 20 days during the irrigation seasons, the reservoirs’ sluice gates would open, bringing a sigh of relief to the farmers of the 18,780 acres of farmland in the area, where the evaporation rate is six times that of rainfall. The water release, however, would only last for a week, forcing farmers to race against time to irrigate in turn, remaining ever vigilant against water theft.
“My family would join seven or eight other households to apply for permission to take water,” said Liu Xianhua, a 41-year-old farmer from Yuelinglong village. “Then, while one household irrigated, the others guarded the channels to prevent unauthorised withdrawals.”
Farmers usually bought a permit to divert water into their farmland for a certain period of time, paying based on the time span and water velocity.
The mission of irrigating the farmlands for all the families was often a tiring and sleepless operation that stretched for a whole day and sometimes even longer, Liu said.
But now they have been unshackled from the tyranny of the shared water schedule, and are free to irrigate whenever their fields whisper their thirst. “With a mere swipe of a card, I can irrigate my farmland any time now,” Liu smiled.
The change has come about as a result of a public-private partnership irrigation project, initiated in 2016 and put into operation in 2018.
Spearheaded by Dayu Irrigation Group Co, the project involved the construction of water diversion pipes and an intelligent water consumption management system that provides farmers with smart meters for 24-hour access to water. It has not only simplified irrigation but also transformed the once parched farmlands into reliable sources of income for farmers.
Compared to traditional flood irrigation, the new pipeline irrigation system, which makes it possible for farmers to bring in drip irrigation equipment, reduces water consumption by approximately 3,220 to 4,290 cubic feet per acre. Overall, this translates to an annual water saving of 741 million cubic feet, roughly equivalent to the storage capacity of a medium-sized reservoir, said Zhou Jianqiang, deputy head of the Yuanmou Irrigation Management Bureau.
Managing the extensive irrigation system with 34 water diversion stations is no small feat for the 24 employees at Dayu’s branch in Yuanmou. However, a cooperative mechanism involving water users not only facilitates project management but also empowers them economically, explained Bi Jinxiang, an employee with the branch company.
“Villagers can participate as shareholders in the cooperative by investing a minimum share capital of 100 yuan. This provides them with a guaranteed annual return of at least 4.95 per cent, regardless of the project’s profitability, as assured by Dayu,” she noted.
Zhang Zhijiao, the cooperative’s director-general, reported that their share capital has reached 3.75 million yuan (£405,640), and, to date, they have distributed over 730,000 yuan (£78,960) in dividends to shareholders.
The cooperative also promotes the use of integrated water and fertiliser technologies and provides agricultural materials as income-generating activities.
The project has made farming much easier, Zhang said, adding he still runs a small farm while working with the cooperative.
“With a simple swipe of the card, I activate the irrigation system after arriving home from work and then I enjoy my supper. It frees me to attend to other things without interruption,” he said.
Yang Haijiang, deputy head of Yuanmou’s agriculture and rural affairs bureau, highlighted the transformative impact of the project, saying it has revolutionised the farming landscape in the Bingjian area.
Previously, restricted to cultivating grain crops like maize and harvesting only twice a year, local farmers faced limited market opportunities. The project, however, has dramatically altered this scenario.
With access to reliable irrigation, farmers can now diversify their crops, venturing into high-value options like tomatoes, cucumbers and grapes. This allows for an impressive four harvests annually, significantly boosting their earnings, he said.