A drip irrigation system provided by the Ministry of Municipality to a local agricultural farm.
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality is providing drip irrigation systems, the most efficient water and nutrient delivery system for growing crops, to 400 local agricultural farms.
The system delivers water and nutrients directly to the plant’s root zone, in the right amount, at the right time, so each plant gets exactly what it needs, when it needs, to grow optimally.
The project is part of the strategic plan of the Ministry to increase fresh food production to ensure food security by adopting advanced technology and an efficient resource management system.
“The project for distributing drip irrigation system targeted 400 local farms at a rate of 10 dunums per farm,” said Director of the Agricultural Affairs Department at the Ministry of Municipality Youssef Al Khulaifi.
He said that the project which began in August 2022 will be accomplished within three years – in 2024. “The Department is working to support farms with greenhouses as one of the modern methods of agriculture and to rationalise water consumption in irrigation crops,” said Al Khulaifi.
This came in a report issued by the Ministry of Municipality demonstrating the achievement of the agricultural sector of Qatar on the occasion of the 43rd World Food Day which falls on October 16.
Al Khulaifi said that the Department focused on rationalising the consumption of water used in agriculture, through a number of different plans and programmes such as raising awareness and training farmers and farm owners on using modern methods in irrigating crops. He said that traditional irrigation methods lead to a waste of 50-60% of the water used, which in turn affects the groundwater reserve.
While Al Khulaifi said: “The modern irrigation methods currently help reduce water consumption by 70%. Modern irrigation networks now cover 89% of the open areas on farms.”
World Food Day which coincides with the 78th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is marked this year under the theme “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind”.
This year’s celebration aims to raise awareness of the importance of rationalising and managing water, given the looming threat to the availability of this precious resource due to rapid population growth, urban expansion, economic growth, and the effects of climate crises.
