Smart Farming
HDH. Hanimaadhoo
June 2020 - December 2021
Smart Water Management as Climate Change Adaptation for Resilient Agriculture Farming project by our team. It has been concluded successfully with over 5 setups installed and operating in HDH. Hanimaadhoo. This has contributed to easing the process of irrigation and encouraging the sustainable use of groundwater for local farmers.
This project provided a selected number of farms in the target island with simple smart tech devices to help manage water and farmers’ time more efficiently. The device will be connected to the main water line from where each plant will be provided with a small drip irrigation hose. The device was programmed to allow water to pass through at set intervals and up to a set time period. This method ensures that the only required amount of water is provided to the roots only and at required intervals.
All of this is automated, which saves time for farmers. Farms that do not have electricity were provided with a small DC solar pumps to withdraw water and convey it to the main distribution.
This project took place in Hanimaadhoo which is a small island community with ties and links to farming. While majority of the residents are employed at the Hanimaadhoo International Airport, tourism and farming are also important economic activities in the island. Hanimadhoo is considered as a very socially stable community with very little crime rate. In 2015 the Island Council opened up farming land parcels for those interested in farming and as a result, the entire allocated land area is now taken by community members and farming is practiced in these plots. There is an agricultural research centre in the island that runs courses on horticulture and farming and they provide periodic trainings to farmers.
