Investigating Contemporary Irrigation Solutions Promoting Agricultural Self-Reliance in Afghanistan

The presence of moisture and water around the roots is responsible for the plant development and fertility. Without sufficient water availability, water needs to be supplied to plants effectively to make sure plants receive water according to the crop water requirement. This requires that different irrigation methods be used in consideration of soil types and other effective factors to reach the abundance of crops. The farm, concerning the soil, the topography of the area, and water resources, requires different irrigation methods that have been proposed and introduced worldwide and are not yet well common in Afghanistan. Knowing these irrigation methods enables farmers to apply them to increase crop fertility by considering the resources and characteristics of their farms. In this case study, modern irrigation methods are introduced and discussed along with their advantages and disadvantages to understand how effective these methods are in increasing crop fertility without wastage of water to help in agriculture and food self-sufficiency in the country. In this mixed-method study, the data is collected using a Google Form questionnaire focusing on finding the level of familiarity of the farmers and other stakeholders in the country with these methods, their evaluation of using these irrigation methods, the challenges they are facing using them, and their expectations from the government and their recommendations for the future. The findings are encouraging and useful.