The inaugural Green Drops Summit 2025, hosted by Sprinktech—Uganda’s leading provider of innovative water pumping, irrigation, and solar energy solutions—marked a pivotal moment in advancing sustainable agriculture and urban development.
Organized under the theme “Smart Irrigation, Water Tech, and Greener Spaces,” the summit convened over 90 stakeholders from government, private sectors, academia, NGOs, urban planners, engineers, landscape designers, and local farmers to address critical challenges such as water scarcity, climate change, and the need for resilient urban infrastructure.
Event Overview and Objectives
Organized by Sprinktech, a company founded in 2017 with a mission to become an international benchmark for water and energy solutions in African communities, the Green Drops Summit served as a high-level platform for knowledge exchange and innovation.
The event aimed to;
- Promote the adoption of smart water technologies to enhance efficiency and sustainability in irrigation and urban greening.Share groundbreaking innovations in precision irrigation and eco-friendly landscaping.
- Strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance climate-resilient infrastructure.
- Showcase global success stories and adaptable models for sustainable urban and agricultural development.
Discussions emphasized the integration of these technologies into urban planning and agricultural practices to create greener, more resilient cities and farms.
Key Participants and Collaboration
The summit brought together a diverse group, including representatives from the Ministry of Water & Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), and the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). Private sector innovators, such as Sprinktech’s international partner Rain Bird, joined NGOs, civil society organizations, urban farmers, and research institutions.
This diverse audience fueled dynamic discussions, fostering collaboration to drive sustainable solutions.
Sprinktech’s CEO, Javan Mukundane, emphasized the urgent need for precision irrigation in urban design and space management. He highlighted automated irrigation systems that allow farmers to monitor and control watering remotely via mobile phones or email, enabling efficient water use even during dry seasons.
Mukundane pledged support for stakeholders, including architects, to integrate smart irrigation into their projects.
Fadi Abu Azeh, keynote speaker from Rain Bird, underscored the global rise in water scarcity over the past two decades and the critical role of smart irrigation in maintaining agricultural productivity and urban landscapes.
He showcased Rain Bird’s advanced system, capable of covering up to 6 kilometers and controlled via mobile devices, boosting efficiency and sustainability.
Innovations Showcased
The summit spotlighted cutting-edge technologies, including; Smart Irrigation Systems, Automated systems that detect soil moisture levels and deliver precise water amounts, reducing waste and enabling remote monitoring.
“These systems are particularly beneficial for farmers unable to visit their fields regularly,” noted Kezaala Eric Damba, a farm planner at Damba Kezaala Enterprises Limited.
He emphasized their affordability and user-friendliness, allowing diaspora farmers to manage farms via phone or email.
Solar-Powered Irrigation: Highlighted as a sustainable solution to enhance smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate change, these systems improve productivity and reduce reliance on rainfed agriculture.
Eco-Friendly Landscaping: Discussions explored sustainable landscaping techniques, such as using drought-resistant plants and greywater irrigation for urban green spaces, drawing inspiration from global models like the Green Riyadh project.
Eng. Aloysius Mubangizi from Nexus Green noted that smart irrigation enhances agricultural efficiency and reduces labor for practitioners
Philles Tumuramye, an irrigation engineer at Sprinktech, stressed the role of smart irrigationin on increasing production and income for farmers, even in dry seasons, by enabling year-round farming.
Arch. Pamela Akora from the Uganda Society of Architects emphasized the importance of integrating landscape maintenance into architectural design, advocating for greener urban spaces.Impact and Future Implications
The Green Drops Summit 2025 underscored Uganda’s commitment to green growth, aligning with national strategies like the Uganda Vision 2040 and the Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy (UGGDS), which prioritize sustainable agriculture and urban development.
The event’s success in fostering collaboration and showcasing scalable solutions has sparked excitement for future initiatives.
The event also highlighted the economic and environmental benefits of urban greening, such as reduced cooling costs and CO2 sequestration, drawing parallels with European urban greening initiatives.
Looking Ahead
The Green Drops Summit 2025 has set a precedent for multi-stakeholder collaboration in Uganda’s sustainability journey. Plans for future summits and initiatives aim to build on this momentum, further integrating smart technologies into agriculture and urban planning.
Sprinktech is committed to supporting stakeholders, combined with partnerships like Rain Bird, positions Uganda to lead in climate-resilient innovation across Africa.
