From the Editor
Editor ’ s message
About SABI
Carol Posthumus
The Western Cape is battling through a terrible drought , and with water levels in dams at a critical level , our prayers for rain reverberate daily here in the beautiful Cape . A few months ago I noticed some people still watering – with sprinklers in the middle of the day – their grass on the pavements ! Incredible : you wonder what planet they have been living on , appearing blissfully ignorant to the dire situation of water . Actually grassy
pavements in semi-arid South Africa are somewhat of a luxury .
However , as the situation has becomes critical , most people are rising to the occasion – and thankfully not liberally watering their pavements ( and a bit of road on occasion ). Hotels in Cape Town are showing off their creativity – for instance , informing the guests that they are not allowed to bath ( and removing the bath taps ) and instead can enjoy a wine tasting at Groot Constantia .
In this edition of SABI magazine , we explore irrigation in Africa , a topic that is sure to delight you . Our continent has so much rich promise especially in agriculture , and the account of Inyoni Africa ’ s projects in Africa make for an interesting read indeed .
The moving system of centre pivots is also featured in this edition , pivots are popular in Africa and the pivot companies are implementing great technological advances and research into their impressive systems . Enjoy reading about pivots !
From saving water To high tech issues
At the USA ’ s Super Bowl Lady ’ s Gaga ’ s performance featured drones flying over her head ( pre-recorded visual by the way ) to form the American flag . Drones are really all over the place now in all sorts of industries . Agriculture locally and abroad is seeing growth in the use of drones . Some pundits abroad describe agriculture “ like a technological wonderland ”.
We weren ’ t able to find any “ flying robots ” ( predicted as the future scouts on farms !) but we feature a story on an innovative , Award-winning Cape Town drone start-up in Woodstock , founded by twentysomething tech entrepreneurs .
We also bring you news of innovations in mobile applications geared to farming , a new column looking at the bests ways to save energy and an excellent How To from regular author Mike de Villiers on the servicing of disc filters .
We hope you find this edition inspiring and informative !
Cape Town-headquartered SABI ( South African Irrigation Institute ) aims to boost optimal irrigation methodologies , water conservation and sustainability . SABI promotes the sharing of irrigation knowledge via :
• SABI membership and branch activities
• SABI Congress , the bi-annual leading African irrigation event
• IrrigationWise Academy courses in agriculture and landscape , presented nationwide with courses from entry to an advanced technical level
• SABI magazine , the Institute ’ s official technical journal and the only irrigation magazine in South Africa .
People from the irrigation , water , agricultural , landscape and related disciplines join SABI as they believe that responsible irrigation water use can result in water savings , increased socio-economic benefits , healthier communities , enhanced agricultural production , sustainable and attactive environments and further benefits such as energy saving .
To advertise in SABI magazine , do a course or find out more about SABI membership or activities : visit : www . sabi . co . za , contact SABI on + 27 021 850 8220 or email info @ sabi . co . za
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SABI | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017