Eric Muuga explained the delay in the Thwake Dam. 

Eric Muuga, Kenya's water and irrigation cabinet secretary explained to senators the reasons behind the delay in the construction of the Sh42.3 billion Thwake Dam 

He cited the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic as factors affecting progress. Muuga faced skepticism from lawmakers, especially Makueni Senator Daniel Maanzo, who questioned how these events impacted a project that stalled a year ago.

Muuga argued that the war caused a shortage of explosives needed for the dam’s foundation, while the pandemic led to a reduced workforce. He also mentioned that challenges with the dam’s height and the weak foundation required additional construction work. Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua expressed doubt about the contractor’s presence on-site, recalling an experience where excuses related to Covid-19 and later the Ukraine war were used for delays.

Muuga clarified that Thwake Dam is designed to be the largest rock-filled dam in Kenya, with a capacity of 688 million cubic metres. He stressed the importance of allowing time for the foundation’s embankment to settle to prevent future issues, stating that this settlement could take six to nine months. The cost breakdown reveals that the African Development Bank is providing Sh35. 6 billion, and the Kenyan government is contributing Sh6.71 billion.

Initially scheduled for fulfillment in December last year, the project is now set for completion by October 30, 2025. Upon completion, the dam will supply water to 1.3 million people, generate 20 megawatts of hydropower, and irrigate 100,000 acres, benefiting various areas in both Makueni and Kitui counties.

Illustration showing how the sponge nanocomposite material recovers phosphate and metals from water. (Image source: Kelly Matuszewski, Northwestern University)

Researchers have created a functional sponge that is capable of efficiently soaking up certain pollutants from water and then releasing them on demand

Industrial manufacturing and agriculture, in particular, experience mineral and fertiliser loss due to runoff, leaving valuable non-renewable resources as pollutants in bodies of water. Those resources include heavy metals like zinc and copper and also phosphate. 

The innovation presents a reusable and low-cost solution for cleaning storm runoff while simultaneously recovering valuable metals like zinc and copper, as well as phosphate. Using surface iron oxide nanoparticles specialised for capturing specific contaminants, the sponge collects the minerals and then discharges them only when triggered by changes in pH. These findings were achieved by researchers at Northwestern University and published in the American Chemical Society's journal Environmental Science and Technology Water.

Doctoral student and first author on the paper, Kelly Matuszewski believes it is important to understand the interaction between these minerals and utilise them, rather than finding ways to discard them. Through her research she discovered that lowering water pH flushed out the captured copper and zinc from the sponge, while raising water pH loosened the phosphates.

In an attempt to commercialise the sponge-based technology, Vinayak Dravid, co-author and Northwestern professor of materials science and engineering has co-founded a startup with additional NSF support through the Small Business Innovation Research programme, which will further develop the material for real-life scenarios.

"The technology can be used as a universal sorbent or 'catch-all,' or it can be tailored to certain groups of contaminants like metals, plastics or nutrients," said Dravid. In their future research, the team plans to account for biofilms, clogging or water flow dynamics on the sponge's performance, while also testing the maximum mineral levels the sponge can absorb.

Results show almonds treated with Acadian biostimulants with improved Stem Water Potential in both stressed and non-stressed situations. (Image source: Acadian Plant Health)

Acadian Plan Health through its multi-year California almond water study, today, released expanded results demonstrating how biostimulant technologies can help growers reduce water use while maintaining yield

As chronic water shortages loom over the world, water reduction programmes are working to lower the local almond industry's water use by 20% from 2020-2025. Starting in 2026, California is looking to significantly reduce its water use, thus making biostimulant technologies all the more relevant for almond growers.

Starting from 2021, chosen almond trees were subjected to Acadian Organic treatments, following which weekly assessments of midday stem water potential were performed. Results from these assessments showed a consistent improvement in stem water potential and kernal weight in regular and deficit irrigation situations. 

According to director of Research and Development at Acadian Plant Health, Holly Little, the results were found to be promising. She highlighted that besides lowering stem water potential, these biostimulants can also lower the frequency or volume of irrigation required for the growth of healthy almond trees, while at the same time protecting yields. 

"As environmental and regulatory water restrictions challenge global agriculture, adopting multidisciplinary and holistic water management will be key to sustaining future orchard systems," said UC Davis Cooperative Extension Orchard Systems specialist Dr Guilia Marino. "These preliminary results suggest Acadian Plant Health's biostimulant technology has a positive effect on almond tree water status under experimental conditions and may reduce tree stress. Additional research will help determine the product's impact on orchard productivity, as well as tree physiology and productivity."

Compared to the traditionally used fuel-based pump, the cost of ownership of a SunCulture pump is 40-60% lower depending on payment plans. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Being part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), InfraCo Africa in a recent announcement, mentioned its signing of an agreement with Savant Group Ltd, committing US$12mn to scale SunCulture’s solar irrigation offering across sub-Saharan Africa

The investment is part of the million dollar Series B fundraise set to deliver access to Internet-of-Things (IoT)-enabled solar powered irrigation systems to hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers by 2030.

Solar-powered irrigation systems distribution company, SunCulture offers the design, manufacture, financing, installation, and maintenance of comprehensive solar irrigation systems with safe, low-voltage DC pumps that are capable of pumping up to 1,200 litres of water per hour. The solar PV systems include sprinklers, drip irrigation and battery storage which maximise efficiency of water use. 

Since a majority of water loss occurs due to evaporation, the solar PV systems works towards minimising evaporation, by enabling farmers to irrigate their land during the early hours of the morning, when evaporation is at its lowest. Moreover, it also targets individual plants, further avoiding wastage. These IoT-enabled systems include remote monitoring and predictive maintenance, with the battery systems also including domestic lighting, thus enabling farmers to charge small devices such as cellphones. 

“We are pleased to be joining Savant Group Ltd.’s other Series B investors to achieve financial close for SunCulture’s latest fundraise,” said InfraCo Africa’s chief investment and risk officer, Claire Jarratt. “Alongside our investment, InfraCo Africa’s involvement will support the company to further develop its HSES and governance frameworks as the company grows and seeks to enter new markets. SunCulture’s unique approach to leveraging consumer financing and carbon credits to reduce the upfront cost of its systems for farmers also aligns well with the PIDG strategy.”

SunCulture CEO, Samir Ibrahim also emphasised the significance of their collaboration with InfraCo Africa, referring to it as an important milestone beyond the financial perspective. “It signifies a powerful vote of confidence in our vision, team, and the potential of our company. There’s a lot of work to do, and we couldn’t be more excited to build with our investors,” Ibrahim said.

Purchase and payments

Compared to the traditionally used fuel-based pump, the cost of ownership of a SunCulture pump is 40-60% lower depending on payment plans and these pumps are offered to smallholder farmers through a Pay-As-You-Grow model. SunCulture is also the first African solar water pump provider to have registered for a carbon credit programme, having its emissions reductions independently verified by VERRA, thereby reducing the upfront cost of its pumps for smallholder farmers.

“With access to irrigation, farmers can increase their yields, ensuring greater food security for themselves and their families in the face of the impacts of climate change, and increased agricultural incomes can support wider sustainable economic growth and prosperity in rural areas,” added Jarratt.