{"id":19533,"date":"2023-12-04T14:01:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T14:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.selinawamucii.com\/news\/?p=19533"},"modified":"2023-12-04T14:01:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T14:01:33","slug":"tunisia-and-the-maghreb-save-irrigation-water-with-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.selinawamucii.com\/news\/2023\/12\/04\/tunisia-and-the-maghreb-save-irrigation-water-with-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"Tunisia and the Maghreb save irrigation water with drones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Farmers in the Maghreb have embraced the use of drones to conserve water amid drying up wells. This\u00a0machine-learning technology\u00a0<\/u><\/a>has come in timely fashion across North Africa, whose nations are now among the\u00a033 most water-starved<\/u><\/a>, globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tunisia<\/u><\/a>, which is currently experiencing long-term drought, could save 30% of conventional water use in orange orchards<\/u><\/a> via drones. Farmers already practicing the technology are priding on exact spraying, which is not only saving water but improving yields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tunisia\u2019s farmers\u2019 transition to drones is an inevitable outcome of climate change.  While in the past it was easy to predict rain patterns, the ongoing 8-year drought has impacted on such forecasts. Even rains appear in summer, which is uncommon for the Maghreb, and farmers overuse water for lack of proper measuring technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such water-and-soil measuring technology provider is RoboCare. This robotic company by a daughter of Tunisian agronomists helps farmers survey plants from aerial camera shots. Data from the inspection can help farmers to spray the exact amount of pesticides right from the flying drone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hibri Negrib, the 35-year old woman founder of RoboCare says that drone technology can save around 20% of pesticides\u2019 cost. \u00a0The tech also boosts the yields of crops by\u00a030%,<\/a>\u00a0as it nourishes them by their optimum moisture and nutritional demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spare water use is relevant for 2023 in Tunisia, a year when dam water levels have dipped to only 22%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dams are the main source of drinking and cultivation water in the country, hence the need to keep them in operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3% of Farmers in Morocco Using Drones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Morocco, at the heart of the Arab Maghreb, 3% of a 2-million farming base is using drones. This is despite a government ban on drone use, compounded by a  lengthy licensing process for commercial application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Loubna El Mansouri of the digital centre of  Morocco\u2019s Ministry of Agriculture told AFP that drones can direct water right on target.  This targeted spraying leads to negligible moisture loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it takes 300 liters to irrigate a hectare the traditional way, a drone sprinkles \u201cless than 20 liters,\u201d says El-Mansouri. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agriculture is 13% of Morocco\u2019s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for 14% of all national exports. The main cultivation method is irrigation for lack of sufficient rain. The country prides in its tomato crop, which consumes much of the extant irrigation water. The country exported $1.12 billion <\/u><\/a>worth of tomato produce in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a word, Maghreb countries are at a crossover moment with a water-saving drone technology that is changing farming livelihoods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Farmers in the Maghreb have embraced the use of drones to conserve water amid drying up wells. This\u00a0machine-learning technology\u00a0has come in timely fashion across North Africa, whose nations are now among the\u00a033 most water-starved, globally. Tunisia, which is currently experiencing long-term drought, could save 30% of conventional water use in orange orchards via drones. 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