Bethal’s Praise obtains silver in the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists Regional competition
Her research focused on how small-scale farmers can implement these systems to improve efficiency and reduce water waste.
MD Coovadia Combined School’s Grade 8 learner, Praise Chidzva, participated in the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists regional competition held in Secunda on July 26.
Praise earned a silver award for her project on computerised solar irrigation systems. Her research focused on how small-scale farmers can implement these systems to improve efficiency and reduce water waste. Small-scale farmers and those producing food as their primary source of income make up approximately 81.2% of the sector.
The system she developed measures soil moisture content and can automatically activate irrigation when levels drop below a set threshold.
Designed to be cost-effective, the system also aims to conserve water — a crucial consideration in South Africa’s water-scarce environment.
During her research, Praise found that this technology can help prevent the 50% water loss commonly experienced with traditional irrigation methods.
She had the opportunity to engage with others working on innovative solar solutions and was assisted in her project by Johan Marx of Optec Solar in Bethal.
