Farming in Zambia: Drip Irrigation Systems: Simple, Direct and Cost-effective

Drip Irrigation is an efficient and precise method of watering plants by delivering water directly to the root zone. It involves the use of a network of tubes or pipes with emitters or drippers placed at specific intervals to release water slowly and directly to the plants.
This video takes an in-depth look at this important method of irrigation used by farmers and gardeners on different types of crops around the world. It outlines some of the advantages that drip irrigation has over other types of irrigation, as well as the benefits it offers. After discussing various types of drip irrigation, it focuses on drip tape, and shares how we set up an irrigation system at one of our farms.
Please also checkout our other related videos:
- Water Reservoir construction: • How We Make Our Irriga...
- Venturi injection: • Vegetable Farming in Z...

[@loratompho]

Less than 2 minutes into the video, I love the presenter. He knows his stuff and he articulates it very well. Love and respect from Botswana.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@derickmoonga9548]

​nice one and beautiful

[@talusranch990]

Great presenter, really good English

[@benmulenga2648]

That's Chisha Folotiya, one very hardworking and enterprising fellow. Also runs one of the best private schools in the country. Keep soaring.👍

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks Ba Mulenga.

[@mumbamunansangu5334]

💯 Was at that school, I can testify😂

[@nunyabznz3029]

Just a hobby farmer in Texas but I really enjoyed this video. Drip irrigation is a fantastic means to keep a garden watered when there is scorching weather as we are having now. You have a great presentation style and subtle sense of humor. No doubt your mother would be proud!

[@mondofarms4343]

Thank you.

[@dimvidpro]

I can listen to this farmer the whole day. Very clear and well thought. 🙏sir!

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@malempatiravi]

​@@mondofarms4343😊

[@chrisrakuom9628]

I am a hobby and occupational farmer. I have never got many things right for a while. Thank you for addressing a great deal of my irrigation predicaments before I start. You are quite eloquent and simple on the subject. I am now motivated to start. Thank you.

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Dmetal81]

Great video! I love listening to you talk. It's soothing and informative and very precise speech. Thank you!

[@mondofarms4343]

Yay, thank you!

[@MarcosAntonio-iw4tw]

When I saw this vídeo I was delighted by the ease manner our host went through the whole explanation about the drip irrigation system. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with the world.

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kennethhu7129]

Farmer from Brazil! Really appreciate your video!

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

I have plastics concerns about drip, but I do also appreciate that in a lot of cases, it saves a *lot* of water by comparison to overhead and flood, and that you've embarked on standardization to minimize the number of cuts you need to make to the tape, thus reducing farm plastic waste. If I had to irrigate more than is practical with just hand-can watering (I live in a semi-wet part of the world as you likely already know from my previous comments, though I can't call the rainfall reliable) for most of it I would use drip (some on-surface, some sub-surface), on standardized multiples of 2 meters. I hope for a long life, health and prosperity for yourself, your family, your employees and their families, and your students and their families.

[@exltaylor7730]

Following very closely here in Maun Botswana 🇧🇼. We greatly appreciate your well researched content.

[@mondofarms4343]

Awesome, thank you!

[@jethklause356]

Great stuff there. So encouraging. I have learnt something. I will lay them upside down! Thanks.

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tshumbalouissiamayuwa7137]

I watch you because I get inspired watching your farming lessons...thank you so very much. Drip irrigation system is the way to go especially now when there is a gradual increase in the earth's temperature we really have to use water efficiently..

[@mondofarms4343]

You are very welcome

[@tommockel8853]

The man should get a job in TV ...such a great Presenter, thank you Sir

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@AM-dn4lk]

You are a really good teacher and communicator. This is a really good video on irrigation. Thank you for creating and sharing.

[@itaimanyati2889]

Thanks a mil Mr. Mondo for this well done production... Btw that water bottle is dope!

[@mondofarms4343]

Thank you too!

[@guidinglightorphansinc.5255]

Thank you Mr. Mondo. This is been very helpful. Am sharing with my irrigation tech to borrow some of your ideas. Love the sense of humor by the way. You are my virtual mentor and I am learning so much. 🙏

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful! That is so gratifying.

[@user-ii8fd7fy2v]

Thank you. I really enjoyed listening to the video. Very educational.

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mlshilubane1095]

This video will surely improve my farming. Thank you very much for the knowledge.

[@mondofarms4343]

Most welcome

[@ednamatimba4628]

Want yo begin farming in Zimbabwe. Thank you very much for your explanation. You were very clear and straight to the point.

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome

[@rafiubello7778]

It helps farmers economically during dry season, creating alternative source of food supply.

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed.

[@hansmarheim7620]

I have learned so much from this video. Thanks and respect from Norway 👍

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Zhu936]

This is one of the best videos I have ever watched on the nitty gritties of drip irrigation..Great stuff brother..Thank you

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome ☺️

[@auracool8091]

So impressed by your presentation. Almost forgot about the lessons and was just fascinated by your presentation proficiency.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks

[@thabo5015]

I subscribe because of sense of humor, yet benefit from knowledge. Thanks

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@TakawiraJunior]

love the way he present ...he knows his stuff .....from Zim

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks Takawira.

[@allmedcom]

Thanks for the lengthy coverage. There are many other cost saving ideas including: 1- Using covered cheaper and equally good materials / tubing 2- Using only one line / bed 3- Bending and tieing the ends with tapes/ wires saves you the expensive end plugs. 4- Utilizing 1 meter deep 4 inches perforated pipes besides trees will save you a lot of money, manpower, water and weeds growth. You could connect these tree roots watering pipes with your irrigation networks. 5- You could save fertilizers by growing fish in your reservoir and gain " free " fish/ protein ( Aquaponic system) ...etc Please keep up the good work

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed

[@isabelchanda9609]

This is really powerful insight.

[@EternalFarmsandAgroservices]

Big thank you on the chamicals you used for the fall army worms

[@mondofarms4343]

Okay. But pls also consult a professional agronomist about such things. You will find them at most reputable agrochem shops that sell such products.

[@amit406582]

Rhino Zamagro Limited, Showgrounds Lusaka, Thanks for sharing this video to so many farmers learn drip irrigation basics. Thanks Mondo Farms

[@mondofarms4343]

You are most welcome

[@daviddelevfwente4541]

Am currently in med sch ....however i have a passion for farming......i plan on starting it out next out......this video gave me some insights.......you just got a new subscriber❤

[@mondofarms4343]

Best of luck!

[@AR.K.051]

What an extraordinary presentation, and the presenter made it so enjoyable and infomative... love Africa....❤

[@mondofarms4343]

Thank you! 😃

[@chibesamutale568]

I just googled drip irrigation systems and this video came up it is very insightful I must say keep up with the good work sir this is great content for us wanna be farmers

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DrAahad-xo6ev]

Wonderful. Good information sharing and handling issue with down slope levels and bypass resolves. Thanks for a good practical vedio.

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome Doc. All the best.

[@usprotech9860]

I’m on my way to go to farm,this is the one of the best videos which speed up my ambition ,great presentation sir

[@mondofarms4343]

All the best

[@zambianyoutuberx]

Am surprised! You are into Farming as well? Am so encouraged! I have learned alot here!

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks. All the best.

[@Netto-bi4do]

This is beautiful presentation, I have been gifted a piece of land. I had never taken interest in farming before but I am now looking to learn and you sir have become my go to. Thank you very much.

[@mondofarms4343]

Congrats. All the best.

[@nkanduchinzewe7108]

Very educational. I am a brand new farmer and have learnt alot on drip. Keep up the good work

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad to help

[@PaulieVavoom]

Excellent video. Very informative.

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stanleymbewe542]

I definitely need to visit this farm.

[@rodrickhazinji9342]

Great source of learning for me and my wife. My boss Chisha L Folotiya, always inspirational ❤🎉

[@mondofarms4343]

Greetings Ba Rodrick. Thanks and all the best

[@leocapo6050]

Hello Chesha I like so much yours videos from the farm. I'm a cuban farmer I sow cucumbers, carrots,peppers and any vegetables. My first problem to produce is de irrigation. Here is by gravity with a Diésel motor and spend so much. I'd like to put a drip irrigation, but here in Cuba 🇨🇺 is difficult to find this systems. I was watching you can sow very well with this irrigation systems .

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks for sharing, Leo. All the best

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Do you have access to the patent drawings for drip irrigation components? If you have the Internet I would assume you can look up patents. It may be possible to reproduce a soaker hose by using locally available materials, although you may have trouble with having accurate pressure and water use regulation.

[@RexChabusha-hu3id]

Hello, new member in the house and in farming 😄. Am enjoying grasping information right now. Thank you.

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome 🙏🏽

[@richieroche6628]

Thank you so much for a clear and entertaining informative video.....we are new fruit farmers in Spain (Irish)...we have almond and apricots...olives also...new fan now

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome

[@HaachitiNgandu]

What a lovely and informative video!

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@KDPFilms]

Very informative, thank you.

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome

[@charlesbrightonchibaala6720]

Well, all thanks to the Mondo Farms Channel I will be launching my little vegetable farm by Independence day!

[@mondofarms4343]

Wow. That is great news. Wishing you the best.

[@charlesbrightonchibaala6720]

@@mondofarms4343 thank you so much. It's not been easy from purchasing the land, sinking of the borehole, putting up a few structures and buying these equipment. It's been a hectic 2 months. Hoping to launch it by Independence day. That's my freedom to explore new challenges. Your channel has been helpful as I kept and still keep checking it out for reference... moreso, for well researched information 🙌. Tawonga chomene. Keep it up big man, from your student about to make it

[@sanathnherath]

thanks , very very helpfull , love from Sri Lanka ❤

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome

[@johnokebule3810]

Thanks for this knowledge God bless you

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks and welcome

[@elevinechirwa4960]

Thank you for the information. So good and clear

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cosmaskwalira-phiri4710]

Great lesson. You motivate me move in that direction. Greetings from Malawi.

[@mondofarms4343]

Greetings Ba Cosmas.

[@williammoopo9811]

Thanks for your informative staff

[@mondofarms4343]

Always welcome

[@theonlymandumbwa]

Very insightful and encouraging. Personally this is your frrst video i came across and will make it must to every video till the end coz of the great information sharing and presentation skills, skills i kmow about from way back pa mulabasa. Lesa alemipala ba Folotiya.

[@mondofarms4343]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@adewaleanthonytolulope9460]

Thank you so much, i want to venture into agriculture. This is so helpful

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad to hear that. It is why we do these videos.

[@thefarmersharekh]

Good share and explanation.

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@isaacmuhanga]

Great great lesson. Learnt a lot

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@velemanilatilevu6880]

simply informative and educative

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@fredcarladjabeng9663]

Satisfying action encourages subscriptions. Whether it is true or false , final result must be convincing that the method is rewarding👍

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed

[@lakachanhassan4558]

Nice presentation. Thank you

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad you liked it!

[@user-gv2kj7le1e]

Great work sir, I m from fiji islands and this is a amazing idea Thank you Amlesh

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@ELLAGROAFRIKA]

Thank you for this video

[@mondofarms4343]

My pleasure

[@kennethmwangi7521]

You are a good teacher my brother, when you are teaching about farming, you remind me of my lecturers at the University of Nairobi. Anyway, I am seriously thinking about farming on a piece of land that I was gifted by my late grandma. The problem with that farm is the availability of water though, but i watched your other video on KZbin about Water pans and damliners and i think that will be the way to go for me... I am also thinking about rainwater harvesting, because we have at least one season of heavy rains in that region, and i watched another video of a guy creating a rain roof ; no building, just a stand alone roof specifically for harvesting the rain water and directing it to a water pan... Much appreciation from Kenya 🇰🇪🇰🇪

[@mondofarms4343]

We only have one rain season here in Zambia, which I have always felt does not give enough water for successful and sustainable rainwater harvesting. But I have seen a lot of videos of it being done in Kenya. All the best. Thanks again for your support.

[@isabelchanda9609]

Great content and very insightful. Thanks for the knowledge. When you improvise the drippers, do you put holes according to the spacing of a plant type?

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed. You plant the trees first, then lay the pipe along them, and make a hole at each tree. It's the kind of thing you figure out when you start to do it. That improvised line for the windbreaker poplars will be there for the next couple of years or so while they grow.

[@mugumejoseph412]

Well done 👍🏾. I would love to one day watch a video on maize storage esp the ssimplest ways, in this, our Africa.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks Joseph. Great idea. We will be harvesting our maize around June/July, and we will try to put together something then. Take care

[@felixkashimoto212]

Very interesting and encouraging.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks

[@elsonmekgwe854]

A very good presentation in deed.

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ClemenceMuchingami]

Good day. Many thanks for the very useful insights. Two questions from me. What material have used to construct your reservoir and do you use a pump of gravity to push water from the reservoir to the fields?

[@manoharsagunthalla9215]

Here is my humble suggestion that if cover the bed with cutting straw or grass which saves water. In due course of time that will become fertilizer.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks. We tried mulching with grass once and regretted it. The grass we used had too many seeds, and they ended up growing into weeds that really negatively affected our crop. But of course, we will try again with fresher grass that hasn't yet seeded.

[@ramamuge3380]

Watching from Kenya

[@mondofarms4343]

Welcome!!

[@gamesedited9584]

Good sir best knowledge ❤love from India 🇮🇳

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks. You're most welcome.

[@abdihafidsaleh3821]

Best farmer in Africa thanks brother appreciated your kindness and support farming ❤

[@mondofarms4343]

👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@MohdZakir-xp8im]

Indeed the drip irrigation system is the best irrigation system for any crop be it sugarcane, vegetables or any other crop like soyabean etc as it saves precious water and energy

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks.

[@thodila]

Thanks for sharing

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks for watching!

[@abyssinia3609]

I really enjoyed your very INFORMATIVE and EDUCATIVE video...I would like to know which country are you in and also how long did it take you to construct that water reservoir?!

[@mondofarms4343]

Thank you! 😃 Please have a look at our detailed video on the construction of the water reservoir at kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3vTfqiepNCXac0

[@lusungutomokasangulukani7321]

This is great information

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@freddykandjeo6824]

Learning a lot from you. 🇳🇦🇳🇦🇳🇦🇳🇦

[@mondofarms4343]

Great 👍

[@Aqualastic]

25:40 I suggest you install a pressure gauge one before the filter and another one after it. The pressure difference between the two will tell you when to clean the filter.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks

[@user-oq3cx2eq1o]

Thanks you very much for time, very good explanation god bless you 😂😂😂😂😂

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sikazwejerry4620]

Thanks for drip irrigation.

[@mondofarms4343]

You're most welcome

[@GlobalSouth543]

Very very nice and full information video you made. Please countie to do that. I am your new KZbin fan from Pakistan

[@mondofarms4343]

Great to hear. All the best.

[@pterrymugabe3816]

This is well explained and i have to subscribe for more...Hello neighbour...um in Zimbabwe

[@mondofarms4343]

Greetings and all the best

[@maricelestorninos0609]

I learned a lot by watching your video for almost 1 hour about drip irrigation. You gave me an idea on how to do this in our farm in the future but have to raise some budget because this materials are bit expensive in our place. Thank you for sharing your technology twas a blessing for me as a farmer beginner. God bless.

[@mondofarms4343]

I'm glad it was helpful. Indeed, investment is required when setting up a farm enterprise. It is usually best to develop things over time. As I said, we have been buying drip equipment in since 2020 as the farm grew. All the best.

[@jeancharles2844]

I truly appreciate watching your video about drip irrigation. I would like to visit your farm. Do you allow visitors. Let's connect, please.

[@augustinjoe3733]

Been watching from Dar Es salaam Tanzania. This is a great presentation. Was wondering how do you protect the plants from wild animals like rabbits etc . And how is the salinity of your water! Thanks.

[@mondofarms4343]

Yes rabbits can be a challenge, but not too bad. The snakes get most of them, plus our guys like setting traps for them. Just joking, we grow vegetables within fenced off areas. The bigger problem we face more than wild animabla is neighbours cattle, especially from Aug to Nov when the traditional practice is to let them roam free in search of food. So we invest quite a lot in fencing. Salinity of our water is quite normal.

[@emeldahwaliywa2725]

Learning alot thnkyou 😊

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad to hear that

[@sundayoluwakayode6420]

Well done,

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks

[@user-mp1gd3wy6e]

Verry Nice

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@thereubenson]

Learnt a lot from Nigeria

[@mondofarms4343]

Glad it is helpful.

[@noriegaludovick2103]

This video made me subscribe to your channel 👏

[@mondofarms4343]

Welcome aboard 😀

[@TchiyiweTChihana]

Tili makola kwaliso namwe? This is so useful. I feel like starting over in everything I’m doing and getting on with drip irrigation after watching this

[@mondofarms4343]

Wow. That sounds so drastic and extreme. Why not introduce drip irrigation systems in stages and for the next crop? Let your team get used to working with them over time. Unless your situation is very bad. As the old saying goes: farming is a marathon.

[@takangwanemaseko9748]

Good day, does the bypass have end caps/ Also on the rivuli connectors, how do you control the water because the have no valves? Lovely session.😀

[@mondofarms4343]

Yes, the bypasses have end caps on either side. The straight drip connectors are controlled from the gate valve at the head of the bypass.

[@mcbeanojamaa]

Hello MondoFarms, I wanted to express my appreciation for your informative videos. They've been incredibly helpful for a young farmer like me. I have a plantain farm and a tractor that I use for weed management. I'm also looking to implement drip irrigation on my farm. However, I'm concerned about how to lay the pipes without causing damage, especially when using the tractor for weeding. Do you have any advice or techniques that could help me avoid damaging the pipes during this process?

[@mondofarms4343]

Hi Mcbean. That's a great question, but one we can't really help with yet. We don't yet have a tractor and only hire them for field preps Our advice is to consult experienced and reputable drip irrigation experts in your area when you are going to implement the system. They should be able to advise you properly and perhaps help train your tractor operators on how to maneuver in and atound the drip tapes properly. All the best.

[@taurayimarambeni7954]

Very informative indeed, I'm however curious to know how you are filling your reservoir.

[@mondofarms4343]

Indeed. We addressed that issue in the FAQ section of the video description. All the best.

[@DenisChangwa]

Looks good

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks

[@wezimoonga4149]

I have noticed the distance with your field blocks what pump do you use from the main reservoir to the fields to handle pressure for good flow

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks Ba Wezi. The water flows between the two under gravity. We always position our reservoirs uphill of the fields to make that possible, and we get enough pressure for drip irrigation. If there was a pump, we would have shown it. Pls watch the video again to catch all the details we put in.

[@VijaiShyam]

Greetings! I just have a suggestion. After studying your video, it has occured to me that you could cover your resivour, as the sun may lead to excess evaportation. What drawbacks would this lead to? I am asking out of curiosity. Great video!

[@mondofarms4343]

Noted

[@presidentoffreeworld]

Great Video and very informative, Did not quite get the need for than 50mm line, mind to explain@30:30mins

[@mondofarms4343]

I'm glad it was helpful! We use different sizes of pipes according to the distance they are traversing and the pressure we wish to achieve. We have found the 50mm pipes economical for big volumes of water moving hundreds of meters. Then, when we reach the crops, we reduce to 40mm into the bypass systems and the drip lines.

[@Caseph_Sergio]

My crops doing well....irrigation is the future

[@mondofarms4343]

Great to hear. Indeed, humanity can't survive without irrigation

[@topomoatswi3934]

Following you here in Tonota, Botswana. A good lesson indeed.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks 😊

[@Super1marv]

Hello Mr. Folotiya, Do you allow farm visits, I plan to start farming early next year and I would really love to visit your farm so that I can learn in details about the drip irrigation system. Overall a very detailed explanation.

[@mondofarms4343]

Thanks. We limit the number of visitors to the farm, as it really impacts our ability to meet our work targets. You can imagine how many such requests we get each week. But we have now started to hold Farmers Field Days, likenthe one last month. They are well advertised, and if you subscribe to our channels and follow our Facebook page, you will surely be among the first to know when the next one is. We make a lot of effort to plan, film, and edit these videos as our way of helping others.

[@sethunyakopong6040]

Mondo farms, I can see you put 2 drip tapes on each bed, is it coz of the vegetables you are planting or only can be put on the bed? Am interested in growing potatoes so would I need 2 or 1 drip tape for the bed?

[@mondofarms4343]

Hi Sethunya. I may have joked about in the video when I wrote about it, but to be serious, there are three main reasons: 1) We have two lines of plants on each bed, so having one dripnline each increases "fairness." Each drip emitter has about a 30cm radius, so we even have a bit of overlap. 2) Our soils are very sandy, so water drains away quite quickly. Thus, we throw more water at the problem. This is made more important due to climate change, which is leading to much higher temperatures than we had in the past. 3) It has become our cultural practice. Our team is accustomed to putting two drip lines on a 50cm bed. By the way, for carrots and onion, we make 1m beds and put 3 drip lines. I hope that helps.

[@sammwape8256]

Thanks Ba Chisha.

[@mondofarms4343]

Most welcome 🙏🏽

[@qadhizafar]

Hi very informative video thanks - but what's pushing the water - is there a pump somewhere, and what is the size of the farm?

[@mondofarms4343]

Pls check the video description. All the best.