By Fulvio Giberti | FSSFS Project Manager
Dear Friend,
Greetings from Puntland, Somalia!
We are enormously grateful for your support of the project "Give Clean Water & Energy to 350 Somali Families". We want to share with you some updates on the progress made.
In the last couple of months, the preparation of the El-Dahir pilot farm has continued and we completed the construction of the dates processing unit building. We keep on moving forward, but we need your continuous support to continue the implementation of this exciting project!
Process of the construction of the small-scale dates processing unit in El-Dahir pilot farm.
After the conduction of a competitive procurement process, CEFA has identified a contractor for the construction of the small-scale processing unit for dates in the pilot farm of El-Dahir. The works have started successfully in September 2021, and the structure of the processing unit has now been completed. The processing unit will be soon equipped for the processing of the dates.
The processing unit will be entirely powered by the Off-Grid Box solar energy, generating zero CO2 emissions, and contributing towards the improvement of the post-harvesting process of dates in Puntland.
On-the-job training of 4 university students during the construction of the dates processing unit.
During the construction works of the processing unit, 4 engineering students (both < 35 years, 2 males and 2 females) from the East Africa and Puntland Universities were attached and trained on the construction site. For a month, the students have been receiving combined sessions of practice and theory from the project engineer on the site, to complement their academic background and to facilitate their access to the labor market.
Innovative model of dates solar dryer in collaboration with the Polytechnic of Turin University for replication by the private sector in Puntland and adoption in the El-Dahir Pilot Farm
CEFA will introduce in the dates processing unit an innovative model of solar dryer developed by the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy.
The master model "Icaro", which was presented and described in a previous report, was approved after the testing process in Italy. The sample is ready to be shipped to Bossaso to start manufacturing the solar dryer in Puntland, in collaboration with the local private sector. To this end, a construction manual and a video tutorial have been produced by the Polytechnic University of Turin, which will continue supervising the replication of the “Icaro” in Puntland through remote technical support.
Procurement of an innovative drip irrigation system for date palm farming.
CEFA has identified and is in the process of procuring an innovative drip irrigation system for date palm farming in the El-Dahir pilot farm.
This drip irrigation system mainly consists of ring-shaped drip lines and drips, which directly apply water into the tree root zone of the date palm, supporting a discharge ability of 200 liters per tree per day delivered within 2.5 hrs.
Generally, drip irrigation systems allow more efficient water use when compared to other irrigation methods. However, the Puntland context can, sometimes, result problematic in the adoption of drip irrigation systems, due to the high-water salinity level. The proposed ring-shaped drip irrigation system utilizes super-sized water emitters to mitigate salinity challenges. These emitters are augmented up to 20% more in comparison to conventional drips and are thus designed to counter the salty water-caused clogging, resulting in lower maintenance costs. Supersized water emitters make this drip system ideal for the Puntland context to mitigate salinity challenges.
In addition, their emission rate can be adjusted for different crops. The drip ring can be up to 15 meters in length to allow adjustment and continued usage as the tree grows owing to its expanding root system. The ring is connected with several emitters located approximately 0.5 apart. The ring-shaped drip emitters will be augmented to ensure they do not get clogged with the salts emanating from the Puntland salty water and also ensure a shorter irrigation duration of maximum 2.5 hours per day at a rate of at least 0.45l/min/emitter. This high rate of emission will also prevent backflow and will be designed with end caps or flush valves.
The Off-Grid Box will power through solar energy a water submersible pump, that will lift water from the shallow well up to 30,000.00 liters elevated tank (7 meters). From the elevated tank, the water will be distributed to the date palms orchard through a ring-shaped drip irrigation system, that is intended to provide water at the drip line for palm trees in a more efficient manner, saving a considerable amount of water.
Preparation for the shipment of the Off-Grid Box, master model of ICARO solar dryer, and the processing unit equipment.
The container for the shipment of the Off-Grid Box and master model of ICARO is being prepared and is almost ready. The shipment is programmed for the month of January 2022, from Italy to the port of Salalah, in Oman, where it will be subsequently forwarded to the port of Bossaso, in Puntland. In February 2022, the container will be offloaded to start the transport and the installation in the El-Dahir pilot farm.
Please keep supporting us to help us see this project taking over and to give more sustainable access to clean water, energy, and food for Somali families!
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