Drip Irrigation Systems in Kenya by Aqua Hub
Drip Irrigation Systems in Kenya | Aqua Hub engages in sales and development of systematic water application solutions in farming and agribusiness sector. We mainly deal in drip irrigation kit supplies and imminent installation of drip systems in farms.
What is Drip Irrigation?
Drip irrigation is a technical water-saving irrigation method that implements the use of well-drilled tubes or drip tapes.
What is a drip irrigation system?
Drip irrigation system is the combined functional setup of drip irrigation kits to supply water to crops in a controlled raindrop manner.
Requirements (Complete Drip System)
A complete drip irrigation systems comes with:
- Drip Emitters or Drip tapes
- Tanks or Water Sources/Points
- Ball Valves or Ball Corks
- Water Filter
- HDPE or PVC mainline pipes
- Adapters
- Connectors
- Pumps
- Clamps
- Fertilizer Injector
Drip Kit Sizes
Our drip component kits often come in diameters sizes of;
- Drip emitters -16 mm and 100 m length
- Mainline pipes of 16 mm.
- Sub-main line pipes of 4 mm size.
Drip Line Spacing
Drip emitters have spacings of 15 cm, 20 cm and 30 cm spacing. For effective water distribution drip lines must be spaced equally at a distance of at least 15 cm apart.
The choice of drip emitters depends on the type of crop to be grown and the size of the farm.
Drip irrigation Setup/ Layout
We often install drip irrigation systems to our clients in rows depending on the hole spacing and number of drip tapes required per acre or section.
- 1 drip line per section/bed
- 2 drip lines per section/bed
- 3 drip lines per section/bed
How to maintain efficiency in Drip irrigation systems
Drip irrigation system requires high maintenance to ensure a long time continuous efficiency. Checking water sources and removal of silt is recommended for a smooth flow of water in main pipes and drip lines.
Filters should be checked and cleaned regularly to ensure effective water flow.
How Can Production cost be reduced using Drip Irrigation?
Applying drip irrigation lowers the cost of pesticides, maintenance and repair costs.
Drip irrigation is economical in terms of setup, use and maintenance. The cost of setting up drip irrigation is quite low unlike other methods.
The cost of pumps and other pressure generating devices is not included when buying drip kits since the method does not require pressure to distribute water.
Advantages of Drip Irrigation
- Low disease and infection rates to crops. Use of drip irrigation lowers the chances of diseases such as blight in crops like tomato or potato. Fungal infections are minimal, there is no direct contact of water and leave surfaces.
- All root zones of crops receive water. The drops enhance wetting of the soil base at the roots of plants thus surplus water for plant absorption throughout the day.
- Low water losses to wind and evaporation – Water loss through evaporation does not occur as the root zones at most times has mulch covering.
- Less water is adequate for a large farm. Unlike surface run off or sprinkler irrigation,water requirement is lower since the only part to water is the root zone.
Applications of Drip Irrigation Systems
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Open-field irrigation of plants
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Distributing water to green house plants.
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Application of fertilizers to crops.
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Agroforestry in irrigation of trees
What is the Cost of Drip Irrigation Kits?
The cost of installing drip kits depends on the farm size per acre and the number of drip lines required. Our charges include the total costs of each individual kits to buy.
For an acre of land we charge the following prices;
- 1 drip line – KES. 75,000
- 2 drip lines – KES. 130,000
- 3 drip lines – KES. 160,000
Other costs are delivery and installation costs, casuals and maintenance costs.
Why We embrace Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is a key to unlocking greater heights in the near future of agribusiness and farming venture. It brings a lot of value to a farmers’ input and gears them into a smart income and crop production solution.
For purchase, order and delivery of drip kits or complete system and set-up services;
Call 0790719020 or email; info@aquahubkenya.co.ke.
