A beneficiary installing some Buried Diffusers
In Tunisia, 43% of the families are totally dependent from the agriculture that is often affected by droughts especially in disadvantaged rural areas. The Buried Diffuser is needed to help tackle water scarcity, to enhance efficiency in agriculture irrigation and for drought mitigation.
The Buried Diffuser: an underground water-saving irrigation system is a project of business development and technology innovation in small-scale agriculture through the marketing of the Buried Diffuser to smallholder farmers in the central and southern regions of Tunisia. ICU has been working in partnership with the Chahbani Technology SA, owner and producer of the awarded patented innovation.
The project aims at improving the sustainability of rain-fed agriculture by enhancing the efficiency of water resources and by increasing productivity of drip irrigated crops. The innovation will help small-scale farmers to adapt to climate change and to increase their livelihoods with higher income.
The Buried Diffuser is a device of underground irrigation for trees, shrubs, vegetables in fields and greenhouses. It can deliver up to 8 litres per hour and be placed 30-60 cm under the soil surface. By releasing water directly on the roots, it allows to save water and energy, and to reduce waste and soil salinization. Trials demonstrated a reduction of 30-60 percent of water consumption and an increase in crop production by 2-3 times, compared to the drip irrigation. By avoiding water evaporation, the Buried Diffuser also reduces the loss of minerals, thus enabling to more than halve the need of fertilisers.
