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Banner GreenFuel and Netafim – partnering for sustainability

GreenFuel and Netafim – partnering for sustainability

“What is in a name?” Shakespeare asked. If we called Zimbabwe’s premiere source of renewable energy by any other name, would it still be as sustainable? Never has a name, GreenFuel, been so suitable to describe the main purpose of an operation; to supply environmentally friendly and sustainable renewable vehicle fuel and electricity that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. Yet, it is not its name that is the key to this operation’s success, but its community-based approach and focus on sustainable farming practices.

Netafim is proud to be one of several important GreenFuel corporate partners. The operation has been implementing Netafim’s subsurface drip irrigation solutions on a large percentage of its sugarcane plantations since 2017. Currently, GreenFuel has 5000 of their total hectares of sugarcane under Netafim subsurface drip irrigation, with plans to place another 5000 hectares under SDI in the next four years.

Precision All Around

Water-wise farming to produce sugarcane for ethanol production is a cornerstone of Greenfuel’s approach. Colin Crick, Agricultural General Manager at GreenFuel, explains that day-to-day water delivery to the sugarcane fields is managed with a very high level of precision. “The GreenFuel drip irrigation systems are in line with the highest global standards and allows us to achieve up to 95% water efficiency in the field. The system is fully automated for both water delivery and fertilizer delivery and advanced fertigation equipment forms part of the GreenFuel precision irrigation toolbox.”  Beyond this, very strict operation standards and a religious maintenance programme is followed.

GreenFuel’s precision irrigation scheduling approach sees them using data and knowledge to ensure that water and nutrients are delivered to each plant with a high level of precision.

Crick explains that their scheduling approach is based on a few key activities:

  • Depletion is set on 35% of the Total Available Moisture (70 mm)
  • With the use of ETO values and crop factors, the Excel-based soil moisture balance is used to track the field soil moisture status and plan irrigation scheduling.
  • During the hot periods when ETO values peak, the irrigation interval is set at four days.
  • To replenish moisture levels, the duration of an irrigation session is 24 hours.
  • Soil moisture monitoring is done continuously with probes.

He adds that precision irrigation is but one part of the precision farming operation. “From planting to harvesting we aim to follow the best practices. Both during the development phase and now in operation, we prioritise researching the best practices and technologies from around to ensure that GreenFuel practices remain cutting edge. Some of the farming practices we follow include minimum tillage practices, field soil mapping to maximise yield potential and uniformity, variable rate application and precision placement of fertilisers and chemicals and more.

Crick continues to say that practices must not only be advanced and precise, but also sustainable. “There is no value in creating a sustainable green biofuel, if unsustainable farming practices are used in producing the sugarcane for ethanol production. Some of our sustainability-driven practices include mechanised harvesting with green cane (no burning), re-using by-products and waste, no land change such as deforestation and a continued drive for minimum tillage and precision farming techniques.”

Precision Sugarcane Irrigation

Sugarcane success is very reliant on water availability, with yields often directly correlated to water application and uptake. Tasked to produce cane with high sugar content sustainably in a low rainfall drought-prone region, the GreenFuel team knew from the start that irrigation will be a vital part of their success.

Enter Netafim as corporate partner to ensure the highest possible level of success in those fields identified for drip irrigation. Netafim was tasked with implementing a full turn-key subsurface drip irrigation project for GreenFuel, and with that started a very fruitful ongoing relationship driven by Netafim’s supply of both technology and expertise.

According to Crick the GreenFuel team greatly benefits from Netafim’s professional approach to installation, problem-solving and working towards the future success of the irrigation system and entire production system. Netafim’s involvement comprises everything from irrigation design, the supply of drip irrigation technology installation supervision, agronomic support, maintenance, and audit support as well as on-site training.

“The fact that irrigation systems are tailored to need the specific needs and challenges in our fields is key to our irrigation success. This is supported by the continuous technical support and general guidance during irrigation system planning, installation, and operation.”

To ensure ongoing support to the GreenFuel team, there is a full-time Netafim team member on site at GreenFuel to lead the way in drip irrigation installation, operation, and maintenance. Crick says that having a Netafim team member on site ensures ongoing support and assistance throughout the lifecycle of the irrigation system. “They can conduct regular inspections, performance evaluations, and maintenance activities to ensure optimal system functionality and crop performance. He is in fact an important member of the Greenfuel Management team.”

Regular training and education sessions on optimal operation and management of drip irrigation systems are offered by Netafim team members to section managers, installation team, agronomists, and agricultural workers at GreenFuel. “The continuous knowledge share is supported by access through Netafim to a wealth of resources, including research and development data, technical documentation, and innovative technologies. They can leverage these resources to provide up-to-date information, recommendations, and solutions to address evolving agricultural challenges and opportunities.”

Netafim’s involvement at GreenFuel has further expanded to their community-based approach. The drive is to bring drip irrigation technology to small-scale farmers in the area. To date, the partnership has enabled more than 300 farmers through drip irrigation technology and agronomic support.

Benefits of SDI

GreenFuel sugarcane produced under drip irrigation is irrigated with DripNet PC™ Anti-Siphon flap outlet drippers spaced 60 centimetres apart in medium wall driplines. The selection of this drip irrigation solution as the most suitable was based on the soil type, in-field challenges, climatic conditions, crop water requirements, system capabilities, production goals and more.

The rest of the product basket working hard to ensure precision irrigation at GreenFuel includes AlphaDisc™ and SpinKlin™ Apollo disc filters, FertiKit™ dosing systems, NMC Pro controllers, Arad water meters and Dorot valves.

The implementation of SDI in GreenFuel’s sugarcane field has, on average, led to 50% higher yields and 5% more ethanol per tonne of sugar. All of this with significantly lower water use in a region where water is scarce and precious. According to Crick, every GreenFuel team member will testify of the host of advantages brought to the field by SDI. “The greatest of these being that water losses due to run-off are reduced to zero. In addition, losses due to evaporation from the soil surface is near eliminated. Another very important benefit, both in terms of input cost and environmental impact, is the fact that fertigation leaching is limited thanx to precision application and deeper water infiltration.”

Crick shares the following table to illustrate some of the challenges faces in the field at GreenFuel and how SDI enables the team to overcome these challenges:

Challenge

SDI’s benefit

Water Scarcity

In GreenFuel’s context of limited water availability, SDI allows for more efficient use of water resources by delivering water directly to the root zone of each plant, minimising losses due to evaporation and runoff and resulting in a 25 - 30% reduction in water use.

Uneven Distribution of Water

Other methods of irrigation very often result in uneven distribution of water across the field. This leads to waterlogging in some areas and water stress in others. The precision of SDI ensures uniform distribution of water along the crop row, optimising water-use efficiency and promoting optimised and more uniform crop growth.

Soil Erosion and Runoff

Surface irrigation methods very often contribute to soil erosion and runoff, particularly on sloping terrains. SDI reduces soil erosion by applying water directly to the root zone, underneath the surface. This method minimises soil disturbance and surface runoff.

Weed Competition:

 

Weeds compete with crops for water, nutrients, and sunlight, often reducing crop yields and quality. In our experience with SDI it has helped to suppress weed growth by keeping the soil surface dry, reducing the availability of water for weed germination and growth.

Nutrient Losses

Some of the traditional irrigation methods implemented on the estate, lead to high occurrence of nutrient leaching from the soil. This leads to nutrient losses and environmental pollution. SDI allows for precise application of fertilizers and other agrochemicals directly to the root zone of plants, minimizing nutrient leaching and runoff.

Labour Intensity

Switching to SDI reduced labour requirements by automating the irrigation process and minimising the need for manual labour, leading to cost savings and increased efficiency.

Salinity and Poor Soil Health

We know that excessive irrigation and poor water management practices contributes to soil salinity and degradation over time. SDI helps us to manage soil salinity by applying water directly to the root zone, reducing salt accumulation in the soil profile and promoting soil health and fertility.

Crop Stress and Yield Loss

 

Inconsistent or inadequate irrigation result in crop stress, reduced growth, and yield losses. Once again SDI’s ability to apply water directly to the root zone maintains optimal soil moisture levels in the root zone, minimizing water stress and promoting healthier crop growth, leading to higher yields and improved crop quality.

 

The team further agrees that SDI makes their life easier, given the fact that the driplines are buried which allows them to continue with several important farming activities above surface without damage to the driplines.

“SDI allows us to better control those factors that are in fact in our ability to control, an important task in a world where a lot is out of our control,” says Crick.