Three lecturers from Meru University of Science and Technology have innovated an automatic irrigation system suitable for use when rains fail. Daniel Mateithia, Joshua Thambura and Francis Kigira are the scholars who have come up with this innovation dubbed ‘E-Valve’. According to the researchers, ‘E-Valve’ will not only keep farmers busy on their farms but also keep the country’s food security in check. “This automatic irrigation system uses soil moisture sensors to detect when the soil is dry so that the system can channel water to crops and when enough water has been delivered the system can shut down the water supply,” Mateithia said.