Low pressure drip irrigation the way forward for small farmers

Just in time for the winter crops, vegetable producers were last Friday introduced to the low pressure drip irrigation kits available at Agra branches countrywide during Agra ProVision's interactive breakfast session in Windhoek.

Low pressure drip irrigation is widely recognised as the technology that vastly improves on vegetable production. These kits have been developed specifically to enable smallholder farmers to improve on vegetable production and the technology targets farmers who experience limited water availability, limited funds, labour requirements to water garden, and lack of technical abilities to install and maintain a sophisticated irrigation system. The kits are affordable, require no electrical power, and are easy to install and maintain. "Ideal for smallholder farmers," says Danie Marais, ProVision's technical advisor: agronomy and horticulture.

Marais adds the kits have been, and are still being adopted widely by producers who have found it both profitable and easy to use. The key reason for this wide adoption is water efficiency. "It saves time and labour, and is ideal for home gardens, in rural and urban areas and it supports sustainable land use," Marais notes. Three kits have been developed. The bucket kit (N$573) irrigates an area of 30 square metres planted with up to 200 seedlings using a standard 20/25 litre plastic bucket as reservoir. The drum kit (N$2753) irrigates an area of 150 square metres planted with up to 1000 seedlings using 220 litre plastic drum as reservoir. The tank kit (N$4347) planted with up to 2000 seedlings using a 1000 litre standard plastic tank as reservoir.

Read more

Media

Taxonomy

• Water Efficiency
• Irrigation