Give an account of irrigation agriculture in the Nile Basin under the following headings
(a) need for irrigation (b) areas (c) methods (d) crops growth (e) importance
Explanation
(a) The need for irrigation agriculture in the Nile Basin include
(i) To supply water to the soil
(ii) To fight drought
(iii) To improve the environment where plants grow
(b) Areas of irrigation agriculture include:
(i) Areas around the Nile Valley especially in Egypt and Sudan which have a desert type of climate.
(c) Methods of irrigation include;
(i) Basin or flooding method - when water overflows the Nile banks and water the areas around the place
(ii) Perennial method -Involves the damming of the river to create artificial reservoir where water can be channeled to farms
(iii) The Shaduf method -Involves the collection of water from river channels using buckets or water bags and pouring it on the farms.
(d) Crops grown include rice, cotton, maize, sugarcane, vegetables, millet, ground-nut, etc.
(e) Importance of irrigation agriculture
(i) It ensures the cultivation of 2-3 crops in a year
(ii) No need to rely on rainfall
(iii) Water is made available to crops all the year round
(iv) It ensures bumber harvest from crops.