Podfol

For a successful fight against drought it is necessary to harmonize irrigation with natural characteristics of climate and arid lands. "Podfol" is an unconventional project of passive irrigation by placing foils, returning the moisture in the root zone of the irrigation system from below. 

The general awareness of global heating in droughts and gas emissions makes this project inevitable when it is known that rain is the best source of moisture in the soil, and that an established farming practice increases gas emissions in the atmosphere. Other than protecting the environment by reducing the emission of CO2, the Podfol system would help improve the agricultural development and its biodiversity, as well as decrease the amount of water, fertilizers, and protective substances used. 

When it comes to sustainability of soil and the environment, the climate, vegetation and human influence are interconnected factors. Global melting and aggressive soil cultivation lead to drought and soil degradation in dry areas, reducing fertility by reducing the amount of humus. In dry soil, the mineralization process of organic matter increases, i.e. humus in CO2, H2O, NH3, etc., and reduces humus production and photosynthesis. The difference created by this process causes CO2 emissions and nitrogen loss. The emission of CO2 is the negative impact of soil in the matter circulation process. By reducing the amount of humus through land degradation by 1% in the soil, 30t of carbon per hectare gets released over a twenty-year period.On degraded soil, the increase in fertility through a higher level of synthesis of organic matter (vegetation, residuals, microorganisms, humus and fauna) is the first condition to ensure stable soil moisture. Other than protecting the environment by reducing the emission of CO2, the Podfol system would help improve the agricultural development and its biodiversity, as well as decrease the amount of water, fertilizers, and protective substances used. 

For a successful fight against drought, it is necessary to harmonize irrigation with natural characteristics of climate and arid lands. Podfol is an unconventional passive irrigation project which aims to place foils to keep the water and return moisture via cappilary ascendance to the root zone of the irrigation system from below. Everyday practical confirmation of "The capillary phenomenon" is noticed in pots or home plants, where it is more successful even with less watering, as long as the pots have a shim underneath.

The hole on the pot is “invented“ because of soil moistening, while the pad is used to retain the occassional excess of water for reserve. The water, according to the law of connected dishes, goes back to the soil in the pot. The logic behind growing flowers in pots translates to the agricultural practice by installing the foil strips into the soil as pads. The space between them would serve as a hole in a pot, which would further form the condition of controlled humidity on the whole plot (field), similarly to a pot.

Podfol is designed in such a way that it can be used for cultivation of any agricultural plant without disturbing the breeding process. This way, farmers, who decide to install Podfol on their plots, will have the same production process as usual, but they will also have better results, and therefore, they will generate a bigger income. Other irrigation systems contain massive equipment which often cannot be combined with other irrigation technologies.  The solution of water movement in the soil to the roots, which depends on the properties of the soil, is left to the users of the system, which leads to an excessive level of water consumption.  The result of this irrigation practice is poor agriculture and expensive food production. For market-based irrigation, which would be the backbone of agricultural development, we must address the needs of the system users created from natural and social conditions: increased and safe production, reduced usage and maintenance costs, ensured durability and safety, reduced water consumption to save the soil and repair its quality.

Decline in soil fertility, global melting, desertification and CO2 emissions are an interconnected problem that fosters each other.   In parallel with this process, the rinsing of mineral nutrients increases in the depth of the soil, and the content of fresh water decreases. The reversal would be based on the return of fertility to the soil, which is a large resource of organic carbon, in order to restore carbon in its organic form through its plant production.

Land degradation,decreasing CO2 emissions, reduction of water use in irrigation, less use of chemicals, fertilizers are global problems which “Podfol” intends to influence on.

There is no direct competition in the Serbian market. There are several innovative projects worldwide that solve similar problems, all of which came after the first version of Podfol. The competition of parallel projects at the time of applying of the patent application and the first promotion of the "Podfol" system in 1989 and 1990, regarding the technical solutions and research, did not exist. A comparative project "Development of a new long-term technology of drought-resilient soil water retention" by a group of authors: Yasemin Kavdir, Wei Zhang, Bruno Basso, and Alvin J.M.D. Smucker, was started by the Michigan State University in 2009. The Podfol system has technically better solutions because it does not obstruct the land with the installation of the foil. In other words,  the land retains its natural properties and has a greater choice of placement options.  The Podfol pedological system permanently restores the fertility of the soil, which does not change its natural properties.

Podfol system is a synthesis of patents, scientific, practical and experimental works. Idea of placing foils under the root system of plants is not new, but the Podfol differs from other similar solutions  by a specially designed foil layer "Underground foil roller" Patent application was submitted on 28.08.1989 under name "Underground foil roller", it fulfilled the requirements and was published in the Patent Gazette of the SFRY: 5/93."Underground foil roller" was first introduced in 1990, at the 57th International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad and awarded with a gold medal.The scientific part of the system was presented and published in the thematic collection of works "Soil and water melioration" at the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

In Serbia, at the location of Lukino selo and Orlovat, where the semi-dry Pannonian climate prevails, the land on the worse parts of the parcel was chosen for the installation of the "Podfol" system with irrigation and dry soil processing. In order to determine the results, a method of comparing the biological characteristics of crops and weed vegetation was used, as well as the measurement of soil moisture in parts of the plot on which the Podfol system was installed. Result was that "Podfol contributed to a better
harvest of pepper in number and size of fruits.Other irrigation systems contain massive equipment which implies the direct transmission of technology. The solution of the water movement in the soil to the roots, which depends on the properties of the soil, is left to the users of the system. This equipment may be incompatible with soil and climate characteristics. The result of this irrigation practice is poor agriculture, and expensive food production. For market-based irrigation, which would be the backbone of agricultural development, we must address the needs of users of the system created from natural and social conditions: increased and safe production, reduce usage and maintenance costs, ensure durability and safety reduce water consumption save and repair land quality.  

Decline in soil fertility, global melting, desertification and CO2 emissions are an interconnected problem that fosters each other. By declining the fertility of agricultural land due to deep and frequent processing over a period of 20 years, 1% of humus emits an atmosphere of about 30 tons of organic carbon per hectare or 1,5 tons per year. Moving the balance of organic and mineralogical carbon causes global melting and expansion of deserts, and again the decline in the fertility of the soil. In parallel with this process, the rinsing of mineral nutrients increases in the depth of the soil, and the content of fresh water decreases. The reversal would be based on the return of fertility to the soil, which is a large resource of organic carbon, in order to restore carbon in its organic form through its plant production. Podfol is designed on such way that it can be used in the cultivation of any agricultural plant without disturbing the breeding process at all. So farmers who decide to install Podfol on their plots will have the same production processes as usual, but they will have better results therefore farmers will generate bigger income.

Development of the company and technology would be done in the Serbian market due to favorable conditions. In this moment we manage to install Podfol on two locations near city of Zrenjanin. In first year this land gave up to 40% more yield than average.

In the first year of operation, the company will stabilize operations and procedures and create material conditions for increasing the capacity by purchasing the necessary equipment. The leasing of agricultural land in the vicinity of Zrenjanin, where the semi-arid Pannonian climate in the conditions of irrigation and dry fodder prevails, and the installation of Podfol will provide a direct insight into the results of the system's application to the potential user.

The long-term goal of the company is its entry into the market with successful and stable operations that will ensure constant growth and high profit. The short-term goal of the company is to provide a material basis for its business. The material basis would be provided by crediting or associating with other companies in foreign markets.

In first years of implementing Podfol we plan to establish Podfol as one of most effective and cheapest solutions for land irrigation.

The most attractive target segment would be agricultural enterprises (co-operatives) with about 300,000 to 350,000 ha of suitable land. Application of "Podfol" on surfaces where irrigation systems are out of function, which would be revitalized with the application of the "Podfol" and would not be a missed investment.

By implementing „Podfol“ they  will increase the yield and mitigate the consequences of drought, increasing the price of land and  opening up opportunities for the increase and expanding of production.

Our plan is to distribute this solution worldwide, thus contributing to the efficiency of agriculture, increasing food production and increasing arable land by transforming infertile land into fertile.

Our biggest chalenge is to obtain financing for production of Underground foil roller prototypes and to obtain necessary equipement for providing services of installing „Podfol“ In first years of implementing Podfol we plan to establish Podfol as one of most effective and cheapest solutions for land irrigation. By using the Podfol system  we will increase the arable land by turning the barren land into fertile, thus contributing to a greater world food production. 

The Podfol system is an underground layer, part of the land, so it does not interfere or limit production. The conceptual solution of the Podfol System resembles a malch foil that regulates humidity by reducing the evaporation of water from the soil. "Podfol" stabilizes moisture in the root system zone and therefore reduces the need for irrigation of the land.

N/A

3 persons on voluntary basis

Miro Medjo – 61 years old, team leader, engineer of water management melioration with over 30 years of experience. During field researches he came up with solution for improvement of soil fertility for dry land Podfol . 

.Marin Magda – 25 years old, Content Writer with experience in project writing. Graduated from the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad.

Zdravko Stojanov – 39 years old, Project Coordinator with a  history of working in the government relations industry. Skilled in Sustainable Development, Analytical Skills, International Relations, and Management. 

Although Serbia is a country of great innovators like Nikola Tesla, and Mihajlo Pupin today, we can not say that the state of Serbia supports innovation. Even at the time of Tesla and Pupin, these two scientists received fame and recognition and better conditions for their work outside the borders of Serbia. "Podfol" system was an idea created 30 years ago. At the time, this idea was unique in the market, today there are similar systems, but none of them has any results as "Podfol" as well as the ratio of money invested and possible profit.  Due to the lack of legal regulations for financing innovative projects designed by individual , the Podfol project was financed from personal funds. The current competition for the "Podfol" system are  different kinds of  irrigation systems that are much more expensive and are solving  the problem using large amounts of water which is environmentally unacceptable, but there are no alternative solutions on the market because of the expensive process of developing a more favorable solution. "Podfol" has been developed for 30 years on basis of field research  and with  minimal investment it is ready to enter the market and offer unique  solution in irrigation of the land.

N/A

We plan to establish Podfol as one of most effective and cheapest solutions for land irrigation. Our plan is to distribute this solution worldwide, thus contributing to the efficiency of agriculture, increasing food production and increasing arable land by transforming infertile land into fertile. In Serbia a sustainable model of irrigation is not established. Mainly irrigation systems are out of function or partially functioning. "Podfol improves soil quality and gives increased yields. These lands were considered unsuitable for irrigation due to low water sustainability. "Podfol" is a one-time investment, because there are no additional maintenance and use costs."Podfole" application reduces the costs of fertilizing and processing.We predict that we can achieve profitability in 4th year of investment with 500ha under „Podfol“ system which is about 1% of land under irrigation system (which is not in function) in Serbia. So the market potentional is great only in Serbian market and has potentional to achieve profitability even earlier than 4 years, given the fact that about 1 000 000 ha (350 000 ha owned by agricultural cooperatives)  is suitable to implement „Podfol“ system only in Serbia. By implementing „Podfol“ they  will increase the yield and mitigate the consequences of drought, increasing the price of land and  opening up opportunities for the increase and expanding of production.

Although Serbia is a country of great innovators like Nikola Tesla, and Mihajlo Pupin today, we can not say that the state of Serbia supports innovation. Even at the time of Tesla and Pupin, these two scientists received fame and recognition and better conditions for their work outside the borders of Serbia. "Podfol" system was an idea created 30 years ago. At the time, this idea was unique in the market, today there are similar systems, but none of them has any results as "Podfol" as well as the ratio of money invested and possible profit.  Due to the lack of legal regulations for financing innovative projects designed by individual , the Podfol project was financed from personal funds. The current competition for the "Podfol" system are  different kinds of  irrigation systems that are much more expensive and are solving  the problem using large amounts of water which is environmentally unacceptable, but there are no alternative solutions on the market because of the expensive process of developing a more favorable solution. "Podfol" has been developed for 30 years on basis of field research  and with  minimal investment it is ready to enter the market and offer unique  solution in irrigation of the land.

Our partner would help us in further for promotion and  development of Podfol system. We are sure that Podfol is the best solution on the market and that it needs strong promotion and market presence to reach the users. The long-term goal of the company is its entry into the market with successful and stable operations that will ensure constant growth and high profit. The short-term goal of the company is to provide a material basis for its business. The material basis would be provided by crediting or associating with other companies in foreign markets.

A further development strategy will be based on a steady growth in market expansion, which implies markets in other countries where a better price can be achieved. So we would appreciate if we can be connected with potential partners in market other than Serbian.