Aqua Hub Kenya has the best accessories and insights to drip irrigation for Coffee Farming in Kenya.
Coffee plants require a lot of water for development of coffee berries. The propagation of coffee can be done in small scale or large scale commercial farms depending on the conditions of growth.
Coffee Farming in Kenya
In Kenya, small scale farmers produce 70 % of the entire coffee yield annually. We can however, increase the overall production of coffee by using sustainable drip irrigation methods. It is a key to better productivity, land utilization and maximum water use to enhance high quality coffee berries.
Why Drip Irrigation for Coffee Farming?
With drip irrigation, you can grow coffee plants continuously from one season to another. When drought prolongs, coffee farming can still go on. Drip Irrigation ensures sufficient water supply to coffee plants and prevents falling of berries, leaves, and stunted growth.
Higher annual Yield
Drip irrigation enhances high yields in production annually. The reason has to do with frequent irrigation times you can adopt with drip method.
Faster Crop growth
The delivery of adequate water to plants makes it possible for growth of big and healthy berries. Crop Stress is reduced, and this leads to faster formation of leaves, branches, and fruits.
Fertilizer Application
Fertilizer application is easy and convenient. The ease of feeding fertilizer and nutrients to coffee plants is possible with drip irrigation. Fertilizer injectors supply water from fertilizer tanks to drip lines through water pressure. Drip irrigation pipes are connected to fertigation systems at the mainline supply pipe section.
Smart Control and Automation
Smart Control methods can be employed to make irrigation easier and more convenient. Large coffee plantations can make use of automated drip irrigation systems to water coffee plants. The system automatically switches water supply on during dry soil periods and switches off on wet conditions.
Wide Range of Crop Irrigation
Versatile applications in irrigation of various coffee species. Drip irrigation is suitable for any species of coffee berries often because there is less disparity in water requirements for various coffee species.
High disease and Pest control
Normally coffee plants grown under drip irrigation are free from pest and fungal infections such as blight. Consider the scenario of how drip irrigation functions. You will notice that there is no contact of water with leaves and hence no fungal diseases. The infections often reduce production and causes stunted growth often due to leaf damages.
Efficiency of Drip Irrigation for Coffee Farming
Drip irrigation for coffee farming has a high efficiency of water use, considering how the little amount it uses to irrigate crops. The water consumption in drip irrigation amounts to 60% of the total water supply volume. At this rate, 40 % water is stored for the next irrigation purpose thereby making it more effective than other methods.
Spacing of Drip Irrigation for Coffee Farming
Drip lines for coffee have spacing distances depending on the type of soil. You may consider using a drip line spacing of 30–60 cm or button drippers. The drip lines takes about 2 m apart to prevent fertilizer and sunlight competition.
Benefits of Drip Irrigation for Coffee Farming
- Plant growth and production is high.
- High control over water and nutrients
- Lower cost of irrigation as it only costs you when buying and installing it.
- Easy to use drip irrigation because it requires fewer skills to operate and maintain.
- The drip irrigation accessories are readily available in the Kenyan market.
- Technical knowledge and skills to set up drip irrigation is available. You can always refer to irrigation companies on the best method for your coffee plants.
- Drip irrigation has been studied, tested, and implemented. There are few concerns that farmers raise about drip irrigation.
Cost of Drip Irrigation Kits for Coffee Farming
| Size / Lines Per Bed | Price for 1 Line (KES) | Prices for 2 Lines (KES) | Prices for 3 Lines (KES) |
| 1 Acre | 65,000 | 95,000 | 130,000 |
| 1/2 Acre | 30,000 | 45,000 | 60,000 |
| 1/4 Acre | 16,000 | 25,000 | 35,000 |
| 1/8 Acre | 10,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
Aqua Hub Kenya has quality drip irrigation accessories and products for watering variety of crops. We offer affordable prices for our drip kits. Installation is also another service we conduct at cheap and expertise.
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