Focus on Irrigation Institute
2007-04-04
THE new face and renewed focus of the South African Irrigation Institute was recently launched at Eaglevlei Estate in Muldersvlei.
The Institute (SABI) is the only organisation representing the different sectors in the agricultural irrigation industry - from irrigation designers and equipment manufacturers to dealers and farmers with the aim of sharing common interests.
Says André Roux, President of SABI, the Institute promotes the science, practice and technique of effective and efficient irrigation.
The organisation promotes good irrigation designs and practices and offers training and educational opportunities.
“We supply all the technical advice and management of the water source in conjunction with DWAF from an irrigation perspective.”
It is well known that the agricultural sector and in particular the irrigation industry is by far the largest user of fresh water in South Africa and therefore it is vital to ensure that this water is used with the necessary discretion and responsibility.
Almost all water used in the irrigation sector needs to be pumped, sometimes more than once. This consumes a substantial amount of energy, mostly in the form of electricity.
Roux says it is therefore important that a qualified and well informed consultant is used to ensure that the water use as well as the energy consumption of any irrigation development is effectively planned.
The water required for normal growth of a plant cannot be reduced or the plant will be stressed and its growth affected. So, to save water, it is important to reduce the quantity of water that is wasted during the irrigation process.
This is done by reducing run off losses due to faulty equipment or long stands times, reducing losses when water infiltrates past the root zone of the plant, not irrigating areas that don’t require water such as roadways and paths, and reducing evaporative mist drifts from sprinklers.
Roux believes that irrigation farmers should continuously investigate methods to save water, as no-one can afford to waste water.
SABI aims to influence irrigated agriculture actively through the marketing of “water wise” campaigns and assisting governments and relevant organisations to achieve their goals. Roux can be contacted on 808-5340 or 082-907-1127.
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