Smart Solutions for Improving Water Productivity
Solutions for improving water productivity range from those that help conserve soil moisture and cut down irrigation needs; to those that enable utilization of previously unusable water stocks; as well as those that improve monitoring and decision-making related to water use on the farm.
Farmer-led irrigation development: a silent revolution in AfricaIn Africa, irrigation is back on the agricultural development agenda. Major initiatives stress its importance. The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, for instance, has extension of the area under sustainable land management and reliable water control systems as one of its four central pillars (NEPAD, 2003).Most of...
Drone-based Monitoring and Decision Support SystemsWhat and HowImproved methods of monitoring water productivity utilizing drones. The case in point is the ThirdEye project in Mozambique which provides information (yield, soil moisture, and water productivity data) to more than 8000 farmers.With more and better data, farmers are able to take better decisions with regards to cropping, irrigation,...
Salt-resistant seed varietiesFor productive use of saline water and soilWhat and WhyGlobally, 250 million people live on salt-afflicted soil and water resources. Farmers in such areas are forced to use brackish groundwater for irrigation, reducing overall yields and quality.Salt-tolerant crop varieties enable farmers to farm profitably and productively. An example is the salt-tolerant variety of...
SWAR: Irrigation at the roots WhatSWAR stands for System of Water for Agricultural Rejuvenation. The system shifts the process of irrigation from application of water at the surface, to gradual application of moisture ay the plant root zone. This enables economy in use of irrigation water, and helps create a soil ecosystem that nurtures micro-organisms which make soil fertile.HowSwar involves sto...
Water Pads: Creating a water buffer for the plant right at the root zoneWhat A waterpad can be described as a sandwich of hessian, polymers and paper that when placed at the root zone of plants ensures an efficient use of water and nutrients. Only 7 grams of polymers can absorb (or buffer) 1 litre of water turning it into gel. This concentration of polymers placed at the root zone of plants allows...