The Agricultural Manufacturing Group (AMG) has collaborated with N-Drip, an Israeli irrigation technology company, to open the Gravity Micro Irrigation demonstration technology in Ghana.
The drip-irrigation system, also known as N-DRIP system, is a cost-efficient form of irrigating fields due to its use of gravity in the slow release of water to the roots of crops, thereby minimizing wastage and enabling all-year-round production of crops.
Unveilling the site at Ashaley-Botwe in Accra, General Manager of AMG fertiliser, Henry Otoo Mensah, said the demonstration project is a technological move toward addressing the numerous challenges confronting humanity in agriculture production.
“The drip-irrigation system is a direct solution to curb the issue of food security in Ghana, as the system can also be used for fertigation – thus ensuring the efficient utilisation of both water and fertiliser. The technology also saves time and labour,” he said.
He said as size of arable lands continue to decline at a high rate, there is a need to maximise crop yield per unit area of land; hence the decision to collaborate with N-DRIP toward a mutually beneficial and more socially impactful farming system.
The demonstration system, which will be sited in different locations across the country, is expected to increase the supply of vegetables and other food crops to meet food demands of the ever-growing Ghanaian population, and deepen the relationship between AMG and N-DRIP.
Representative of N-DRIP in Ghana, Jacques Blinbaum, said the project can be replicated in all locations of Ghana, since the initiative wholly runs on borehole water. He said the N-Drip’s Gravity Micro Irrigation System helps farmers irrigate precisely and efficiently, optimising yields without requiring expensive pumps or filters.
“The System provides an easy-to-install economic solution that uses the field’s existing infrastructure and is powered by gravity. As a result, water flows efficiently by using sustainable energy while lowering labour costs and money spent on fertiliser,” Mr. Blinbaun said.
The technology uses a levelled field as well as flood infrastructure and field topography; ensures there’s no use of pumps; is powered by gravity (0.06 bar/0.87 psi); uses no additional energy; and as well uses of no filters.
Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Shlomit Sufa, said implementing the demonstration field forms part of Israel’s resolve to promote and bring Israeli agricultural solutions to Ghana. She said Israel will continue to show interest and support Ghana’s quest to ensure food security through smart agriculture technologies.
Done on a six-acre land at Ashaley-Botwe, an acre of the field accommodates 30,000 maize plants on a higher density – higher than the normal density known to be practiced in Ghana by farmers.
