Global Solar invents new irrigation system
A new technology has been developed in the country which will enable people living away from major water bodies such as rivers and lakes to still practise irrigation farming.
The inventing company, Global Solar Limited, says the new technology is not limited to farms along river banks. Its Managing Director, Andrew Nkoloma, said the technology is expected to revolutionalise farming in Malawi.
According to Nkoloma, people living in areas far from water bodies just need to sink a well or a borehole and use the technology to transport water to various areas in their fields.
“All you need is to bring water to the ground and use this technology to transport it to wherever your field is. This technology is capable of transporting water to very far away areas. Using solar technology, we can irrigate a very big field in an hour. Apart from that, the communities could also use the solar power to light up their houses at night,” Nkoloma said.
Currently, Malawi cultivates crops once a year because of overdependence on rain fed agriculture.
The development has resulted in Malawi struggling for food once the country experiences rain failure or too much rain.
Poor rains in the past two growing seasons has resulted in over six million Malawians expected to face starvation this year. Analysts have argued that irrigation agriculture holds the key to the economic wellbeing of the country as increased crop production could help tame the runaway inflation and eventually pull down interest rates.
“With this technology, Malawians living in areas far away from water bodies have no excuse for not practicing irrigation farming,” said Nkoloma.
