Senwes Scenario October / November 2017 | Page 18

•••• T RADE N E W S AGRI DRAINAGE: Complete Water Management Specialists STEPHAN GELDENHUYS ABOUT AGRI DRAINAGE With the growing population and encroachment on agricultural land, it is important to optimise land use. With recent climate changes and extreme weather pat­ terns, the optimisation of water management has become impera­ tive to food security. Today’s farm­ er needs to maximise yields and minimise risks and we, at Agri Drainage, have the solution - a holistic approach to water man­ agement. Our services include a variety of specialised processes, creating a purpose-driven solution custom­ ised to fit the specific needs of the client:  Surveying (Aerial Lidar as well as Quad Surveys).  Planning and feasibility (se use the latest, most advanced 16 software to propose an effective water management plan).  Surface drainage (involves managing the water flow and direction on your field to elim­ inate ponding and dry spots).  Subsurface drainage  Advantages of subsurface drainage: - Deeper root systems, drought resistant crops - Lower salinity - Higher yields - Timely field operations.  Building and repairing of dams.  Maintenance of sub-surface drainage systems. AGRI DRAINAGE AND SENWES With the high cost and long-term nature of an investment in water management (drainage) on your farm, it can add unnecessary pres­ OCT/NOV 2017 • SENWES Scenario sure to your cash flow. Realising this, Senwes can now structure financing to Agri Drainage and Senwes clients to install sub-sur­ face drainage or do land forming work. WATER TABLE MANAGEMENT Over the past 20 years an excit­ ing new development took place in drainage systems in the USA and Agri Drainage is now imple­ menting this technology in South Africa. This system is especially well suited to the water table soils of the Free State and Northwest. By adding control structures onto the collector mains of a sub-surface drainage system, it is possible to control the depth of the water table in the soil as required (see diagram). If there is a suitable place to build storage reservoirs to store the water that is