Veta invents automatic irrigation tech to help small scale farmers
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
The Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) has invented an automatic irrigation technology that has been designed to help farmers reduce production costs and increase yields.
Speaking with The Guardian in an interview at the ending Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), Veta Kipawa vocational electronics instructor Aneth Mganga said the new irrigation system can easily be affordable to small scale farmers to assist them raise their yields.
Mganga also said that the automation of the irrigation system plays an important role in controlling the use of electricity and water to ensure the quality of grains.
"The technology has the ability to detect the amount of water needed in the soil, we have decided that this technology be used to assists many small scale farmers who need reliable irrigation system to improve production and their livelihoods," she said.
She added: "The automatic irrigation system technology shows that appropriate water level contributes to the quality of grains and affects the incidence of pests and diseases, weed population and the availability of nutrients in the soil".
She noted that the amount of the electricity that is being used on irrigation technology is only 12v which is equivalent to that used in domestic bulbs.
"This technology can preferably be used in either rural areas or in urban areas, for small and medium scale farmers. The farmers in the urban areas are also advised to use it in vegetable gardens to improve their yields," she said.
She insisted: "Improving irrigation efficiency can contribute greatly to reducing production costs for farmers, making the farming industry more competitive and sustainable. Through proper irrigation, average yields can be maintained or increased while minimising environmental impacts caused by excess applied water and subsequent agrichemical leaching."
The Vocational Educational and Training Authority (Veta) was established by Act of Parliament No. 1 of 1994. It is charged with broad tasks of coordinating, regulating, financing, promoting and providing vocational education and training in Tanzania.
The history of Veta dates back to 1940 when the Apprenticeship Ordinance was enacted to guide training in the industry. The Vocational Training Act of 1974, which established the National Vocational Training Division, was replaced by the Vocational Educational and Training Act of 1994.
Veta's mission is to ensure provision of quality VET that meets labour market needs, through effective regulation, coordination, financing, and promotion, in collaboration with stakeholders and its vision is to be an excellent VET system that is capable of supporting national social economic development in a global context.
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