Off-Grid Irrigation
Irrigation for Remote Places and Developing Countries
Often, places with some of the most critical and important irrigation needs don't have electricity, fuel, or water pressure. In these situations, the best watering solutions use only gravity, but most irrigation and drip systems require too much pressure for simple gravity-supplied water. Blumat and BluSoak require very little pressure - as low as 1 PSI, which only requires a reservoir with a water level that's at least 3' above the ground.
We recently helped with systems like this in Haiti for 500 small farmers. These farms previously relied on women and children to frequently haul water from a remote source and then pour it on the ground near the plants, where most of it ran off horizontally away from the roots. With these new systems, they only have to fill up a 5-gallon bucket every 2-3 days, which is attached to BluSoak surrounding the plants.
Now they have time to do other, more productive projects while the BluSoak systems slowly release water for the plants in the most efficient and water-saving way. Because the water drips slowly, it sinks deep instead of running off and away from the plants. And because the water sinks deeper, the roots grow deeper and have more access to buried nutrients and minerals. The plants also become more drought-resistant and stronger against high winds.