chapter 1

Water is a vital component in agriculture. It is a fundamental requirement for the maintenance of vitality in both plants and animals. For this reason, irrigation systems were prevalently introduced to farmers worldwide as a means to provide water for their crops at an optimal time and frequency. Backed by reports of increased yield and quality of crops after their installation in farms, these systems have become a sought after commodity. Unfortunately, not every farmer is able to equip their farms with the aforementioned technology due to its high expenditure, complexity of operation and need for proper water sources. As such, scientists invented hydrams or hydraulic ram pumps; self-regulating mechanisms that transport water from one place to another without using fuel or electricity. Anyhow, despite its utility, these pumps are not widely used for it is relatively inefficient when made strictly on a standard model. Thus, a proposed model of hydraulic ram pumps catered for each group of farmers around the country would immensely help in equipping them with their own simple and personalized mechanism to keep up with the vastly reforming technologies of the world.

According to Rutledge et al. (2023) in his article entitled, 'Irrigation'; "to irrigate is to water crops by bringing in water from pipes, canals, sprinklers, or other man-made means, rather than relying on rainfall alone". With this in mind, the oldest known origin of irrigation is known to have occured in Egypt at 6,000 B.C., wherein the Sumerians manipulated the geological structure of their land to redirect flood water to nearby crops (Nancy, 2020). This system was soon improved by the said community by inventing a device called 'shadoof'; a counter-weight reliant mechanism that lifts water using a bucket from streams to be dumped in farms (Priyono, W., 2020).

Soon enough, technological instruments that could mechanically transport water out of water sources also started to arise. One of the periods that had a particular and significant impact on the development of holistic farming is industrialization. In just a short amount of time, industrial equipment was introduced to farmers around the globe, spreading like wildfire for their efficiency and automation. Be that as it may, based on Everist Irrigation (2019), investing in these industrial irrigation systems was plenty expensive. Even the requirements of maintaining such a system itself was hard to manage. Likewise, additional issues included; water unavailability, high initial cost, maintenance requirements, requiring skilled workers and cite specific requirements (Bolzonella et al., 2019).

It was around these troubling times that many began to develop countermeasures to counter such predicaments. In 1796, a contraption called a hydraulic ram pump was invented by Michel Montgolfier (Smith 2022). It was the first self-acting hydraulic ram pump to be seen after John Whitehurst's non-self-acting ram pump in 1772. The main concept of their contraption was to utilize a small amount of running water as its fuel; capturing and subsequently converting the water's kinetic energy to transport a portion of its load to another location (Smith, 2019). It removes the need for electricity and gas; making it an ideal equipment for farmers struggling in irrigating their fields.

Unfortunately, most of the models of hydraulic ram pumps were not able to make significant impacts on the field of agriculture. Even modern ram pumps have various limitations such as difficulties in their methods of creation, expensive costs, and highly complicated forms of maintenance (Guo X et al., 2018). In fact, it also states that these pumps aren't meant to have a universal model. An optimal design is dependent on the specific conditions of the area it will be utilized in. To name a few, the factors to be considered are; location of water sources and its characteristics and the availability of local materials. Therefore, Ijsaret (2023) suggests that the creation of a simpler model is needed if hydraulic ram pumps are to be properly introduced to farmers around the world.

To attest the aforementioned concern, a study regarding custom hydraulic ram pumps has done well in terms of agricultural use in West Pokot County, Kenya. In which it was conducted to determine the effectiveness of their own hydraulic ram pump design. They claim that it was cheaper and easier to install compared to conventional water pumping machines. However, during the monitoring period, the researchers observed that providing farmers with complex machinery is not advisable. The farmers of West Pokot, County lacked adeptness in managing mechanisms, causing the design of the researchers to backlash and damage the yield of the the tested crops instead (Joseph K. O., 2023).

Nevertheless, when done right, customized hydraulic ram pumps can increase economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. This can be seen in the article of Julio P. Yap, Jr (2018), in the Sitio Candalaba in Barangay Cabacungan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, Philippines wherein the citizens incorporated this type of equipment under the supervision of Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig Para sa Lahat or SALINTUBIG program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). This program was intended to negate the labor of fetching water from a natural spring which needs to be traversed on a difficult and dangerous pathway more than two kilometers from their respective houses. As such, the said equipment accumulated a savings of PHP20,000.

Hydraulic ram pumps, despite their lack of propagation due to being overshadowed by industrial pumps' efficiency and convenience, are being sought after sporadically as an alternative pumping technology due to their utilities and impact. In an article by Hilda (2019), she reported the situation of Pangasinan, La Union after an El Niño; according to her, a total of 744 hectares of farmlands have been affected, leading to failure in crops. But with the use of a hydraulic ram pump, farmers can continue watering their fields even when electricity and fuel is scarce and manpower is limited. This can save energy consumption, fuel, and maintenance costs. Furthermore, this study can help identify innovative irrigation solutions, improve agricultural productivity, and support farmers in their livelihoods. It contributes to the development of sustainable farming practices and water management strategies; crucial for global food security and environmental challenges.

This is in accordance with the international treaty called Paris Agreement that was adopted in 2015. Where it strives to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, aiming to adjust global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. In a nutshell, it calls for countries to take actions to conserve and enhance reservoirs of greenhouse gasses and promote sustainable energy consumption, in which it will provide financial support to assist developing countries. With that said, the study of a custom hydraulic ram pump can benefit from the treaty. Reason being its main purpose is to conserve water resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; in turn decreasing the need for energy reliant pumping systems. This can pave the way for possible financial assistance from the treaty to develop custom pumps in the country.

In addition, a national law known as the Philippine Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (RA 9513) can also support the study. It aims to promote the development, utilization, and commercialization of renewable energy resources in the country. The law enacts various incentives in order to encourage the development of renewable energy projects, including financial assistance. Hydraulic ram pumps do not need electricity nor fuel to operate; neither does it require complex materials and processes to aid farmers. Thus, it can be considered a renewable energy equipment that harnesses the kinetic energy of water.

Similarly, La Union Provincial Environmental Code (Ordinance No. 07-03-2007) can be a constituent of the study. This code aims to protect and improve the quality of the environment in the province. It includes provisions on the conservation of natural resources, the prevention and control of pollution, and the promotion of sustainable development. It is a vital factor to the study in providing a framework in the development and implementation of sustainable water management practices in the province of La Union.

With the support of these various sectors, the researchers deemed the municipality of Balaoan as a suitable location to conduct the study. Thus, compiling the aforementioned suggestions of the cited studies such as the simplification of operation, lowering of expenses, and customization, in this study, "Design and Evaluation of Hydraulic Ram Pump Made From Readily Available Materials", aims to evaluate and develop the performance of a new model. Made from materials readily available in Balaoan, this model aims to be the most economical and cost sustainable version catered for the said municipality. Much like other areas in the same province, farmers are having difficulties in finding water for agricultural use. Specifically, they lack irrigation equipment to cope up with the land degradation it is experiencing. In fact, due to various limitations such as the type of technology to be used, cost factor, and lack of awareness, the farmers struggle in incorporating irrigation equipment to aid their work. Thus, this study aims to cater a hydraulic ram pump design, maximizing functionality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness to make a viable equipment for local farmers in Balaoan. It seeks to evaluate the pump's performance and develop an improvised prototype