Page 21 - Vol.39-No.9 issue

IRRIGATION

Oliver Christian, His Majesty’s Trade Finance (UKEF). UKEF’s mission is to advance Growth Towers has been provided to cloud
Commissioner for the Middle East and prosperity by ensuring no viable UK export kitchen business, Kitopi.
Pakistan and HM Consul General to Du- fails for lack of finance or insurance, doing Mohamad Ballout, CEO of Kitopi, high-
bai said: “The UK Government is proud to that sustainably and at no net cost to the lighted the significance of this sustain-
support companies like IGS, which brings taxpayer.” able partnership, stating: "As the first
together technological innovation and sus- ReFarmTM and IGS announced this food company to join this ground-breaking
tainability towards achieving decarbonised ground-breaking partnership from their initiative, Kitopi is proud to be part of a
food security. IGS’ substantial contribu- demonstration facility built in Dubai in strong collaboration that underscores our
tion to the ReFarmTM project will bring celebration of COP28. The site features dedication to pioneering sustainable solu-
significant high value exports from the industrial replicas of five of the six comple- tions in the food industry. The 'GigaFarm'
UK, expected to enable an application for mentary technologies that will be brought project represents a key milestone in our
financial support to be made to the UK gov- together at the Dubai Food Tech Valley, and commitment to driving positive change and
ernment’s export credit agency UK Export fresh produce grown in the vertical farming environmental impact."

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THE IMPORTANCE OF IRRIGATION

THE SEARCH FOR WATER LESSONS FROM COP
SECURITY We learn from COP that we are in trouble.

The Middle East and Australia have a lot We can expect a major climate security crisis,
in common when it comes to weather and initiated by water shortages, and overuse
water shortages. Australia is called the “Dry of existing resources. These all lead to sup-
Continent” based on it’s geographic land for- ply chain dislocations, affecting the most
mations. Vast deserts turn into lush pastures vulnerable nations in Africa, Asia and even
that when hit by cyclonic rainstorms, can South America.
sometimes be years apart. Irrigation needs water and there are no
WARWICK LORENZ easy answers. No doubt, governments would
EXPORT DEPARTMENT Without artesian water, Australia’s inland be better spending their resources on water
would be in real trouble.
In general terms, irrigation is the process security infrastructure than armaments.
of turning unproductive soil into food or HUNGER HOT SPOTS
fibre. It was the Sumerians who 5,000 years
ago, began irrigation in Mesopotamia. The UN Food and Agriculture Organiza-
tion has already identified 20 hot spots with
Today, we are faced with challenges that countries facing critical food emergencies.
the Sumerians never imagined with a world Those countries that can develop infrastruc-
population heading for 12 billion by 2050! ture to aid irrigation need to move now. We
Papers delivered by a series of authorities at can all see, just by daily weather events that
the United Nations Climate Change Confer- there is negative steady progression where
ence in Dubai (COP) clearly point out that No crops without water. production of food will be a massive problem.
an increasing world population is already in To produce high value cereals, countries
serious trouble with up to 700 million people THE POWER OF WATER like Australia need to accelerate the conver-
chronically undernourished.
The reality is that the world’s population, sion of grazing land to cropping for more
particularly first world countries, are used to effective use of water. That means more
a protein laden diet. Statistics tell us that it irrigation!
takes eight kilos of cereals to produce one Irrigation needs a water source to start
kilo of beef. Statistics also tell us that the with and unfortunately, we can no longer
globalisation and the rise of urbanisation depend on rain. It may come exactly when
based on mechanisation of agriculture, has we don’t want it and in huge volumes of flood
led to a huge rise in water demand from that we are already seeing around the world.
growing cities and industry.
There are lessons here from COP. Let’s
Irrigation and agriculture are still the big- hope governments and humanity can learn
gest users. We depend on our farmers for them.
our existence. Further information on this story is availa-
THE FUTURE OF IRRIGATION ble from Australian Pump Industry’s Warwick
Grass fed cattle need well Lorenz. Warwick is the Managing Director
watered pasture. Countries like Australia need to invest of Australian Pump Industries.
heavily in water infrastructure. This could be
Heatwaves and wildfires, like those be- dams, channels and conduits to bring water This innovative Australian company has
ing experienced in Australia, already this into areas where it an be held in artesian focused it’s product R & D on flood, wildfire
summer, show us that we are heading for basins (Australia’s great Artesia Basin can and drought solutions over the last 30 years.
chronic water shortages, crop failures and even run dry in a major drought.). Their innovations have helped farmers all
diminishing yields, unless we take steps to over the world.
harness the water resources that we have.
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