Smallholder Farmers Water Access

In developing countries, smallholder farmers grow crops on are less than two hectares. Lack of  water accessibility in dry land areas have become the most challenging facts in agricultural sector  in arid and sub-arid areas.

Villages are generally dry due to poor rainfall patterns and in order to be successful in all seasons, they must rely on irrigation. Farmers use manual irrigation which are time consuming and can irrigate only less than 100m2/day

Imagine if they can find the solution that can double their harvests as well as allowing them to grow crops in all seasons. This way would not only reduce the poverty but also feed other  people who are starving. It would also generate employments to unemployed youth across Africa while increasing the GDP of the countries from agricultural sector.

It is the time to revolutionize agriculture from manual to Drip irrigation to enhance sustainable agriculture.

According to Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nation “ Africa’s population  are projected to more than double by the middle in 2050 and GDP per capita on the continent expected to continue raising”(FAO,2017). This will put pressure to farmers because food will be required to increase in order to be affordable to arising population. Estimate of food consumption will continue to increase more than 100% to be enough in feeding population. This will put pressure to small-scale farmers especially in Africa due to the availability of Arable land for agriculture.

Recognizing the importance of small-scale farmers in addressing that issue can cover the way to provision of technology that can allow local market to supply consumer demand of food over long period of time to achieve sustainable agriculture practice. This technology will become the best way to feed the world while boosting income to more than 200 million smallholder farmers in developing countries giving them change to live over $2/day(World Bank,2019;FAO 2018) 

This idea of Drip irrigation is not new but when it applied properly to smallholders farmers in arid and semi-arid area ,it will could not only reduce food insecurity but cheaply feed the entire continent while generating income  to increase GDP of the beneficial countries.

 Drip irrigation service supply involve the use of tanks connected to drip irrigation pipes in fields. They will use solar energy from solar collectors. This will allow smallholders farmers to access to not only water for irrigation, but also  some solar  for domestic use even if they have little amount of money. The solution will be most favorable in the areas which are near source of water such as rivers, lakes even the ocean. The focus main  will be able to reduce poverty through exporting crops from combined  small holder farmers from  and increasing their income from under two USDs to over six USDs per day by connecting them to Agri-processing industries, supermarkets. It will also their interconnection with extension agents, seed experts, financial institution  even investors in agricultural sectors. The local authorities will also participate in taking care of implementation of projects which will help local farmers to work hand in hand to success.

According to World Bank “above five hundred million small holder farmers from developing countries want to access to affordable and high-quality farm input and service”(World Bank,2018)

Around 12 million people in Rwanda, above 70% rely on agriculture for their annual income, while all population make their daily living from small holder farms. Our solution will help local small-scale farmers especially women and unemployed youth in agricultural sectors. Local farmers who are susceptible to drought . they are imperceptible in our daily life, but we depend on them to live and survive.

Our solution will help farmers to double their yields so that they must be food secure while also generating income to afford other basic needs. We will reduce hunger while also creating employment to unemployed people especially youth and women.  Our solution wish to build capacity of local farmers through teaching better practice of doing agriculture as business while also conserving it for next generation. This will reduce the threat of agriculture to environment at the same time helping to increase economic prosperity of people.

The target group lack access to technology that can turn their surrounded water into useful asset in increasing their crop production. Lack of basic needs become challenge. The solution is to supply water through irrigation by putting more land used to boost production. We will be able to be able to achieve  Sustainable Food Systems which is related to the 2020 Global Challenge on the topic of “Sustainable Food Systems” when our small scale farmers have access to drip irrigation, knowledge  to boost yield with improved nutrition ,income and sustainable food uses for future generation.

Similar projects/Competitors

Sprinkler irrigation tools bought by Holland Green-tech

Competitive advantage

• Our solution use technology that that reduce amount of water needed and less time consuming  in order to produce food while doubling the yield with water conservation compared to sprinkler irrigation. Our installation requires half initial  cost  so that the farmers will be able to be flexible in repaying other remaining money as loan. We provide training and extension service to local farmers before and after providing them installation service which build their capacity to use drip irrigation efficiency. We help farmers to know basic accounting techniques, making business plan, budget, culture of saving   while connecting them to financial institution to work hand in hand with them.
• Our solution provides  multiple benefits for people who did not have access to hydroelectric power because solar energy will be available for not only pumping water but also used for domestic electricity. It will help them to get education for their children through revising their lessons and opening small business such as small shaving shop. 

 In order  for small scale farmers to become successful, they  must rely on irrigation which conserve water while less time consuming. Local  farmers used manual irrigation which is labor intensive and irrigate low area (below 100m2) .We have water source which are less than 2km away from field.

Using Drip irrigation is not new worldwide but, in our region, it is not  usually used which become the best way to implement it because is a system that is used in irrigation where water is dropped at the exact place where it is needed. This method of irrigation helps to minimize costs because water is dropped where is needed only which reduce wastage of water. Also, due to driplines which are across all over the farm, it doesn’t take a lot of time to irrigate the crops because water can reach all the crops at the same time; this, in turn, facilitates to use few workers which saves money.  

Moreover, it is easy to install this type of irrigation compared to center pivot irrigation. Drip irrigation prevents weeds from growing because it supplies water to plants only hence, weeds can’t use the water and this result in their wilting and then they die. Not only that but also it doesn’t wash the fertilizer to groundwater. This is because water comes to drop by drop which neither splashes the fertilizer nor wash the topsoil.  Solar energy will also help farmers to create other business that will help them to boost income.

https://www.dripworks.com/drip-irrigation/irrigation-kits

• Drip irrigation provides a smart and economical way to save water, promote plant growth, prevent fungus and diseases and provide many other benefits. Whether you have a few potted plants to take care of or run a large farming operation, the drip irrigation kits available at Drip Works are the fastest, easiest way to bring drip irrigation to your deck, garden or landscape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWKr3Y6QDV4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTD8Bbx3AZw

http://www.fao.org/3/s8684e/s8684e07.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_irrigation

• Drip irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface. The goal is to place water directly into the root zone and minimize evaporation. Drip irrigation systems distribute water through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. Depending on how well designed, installed, maintained, and operated it is, a drip irrigation system can be more efficient than other types of irrigation systems, such as surface irrigation or sprinkler irrigation

The community are starting to build strong partnership with micro finances so that we may continue to implement our project 

Conserving water while using them to boost crop production in highly demanded crops that can be exported  will have the following impacts

•  It will provide the small-scale farmers with water to irrigate their farms through drip irrigation, seeds, farming tools and  and build their capacity through providing training and  farming techniques.To help small scale farmers to double their crops which will help them to be food secure while reducing poverty in their regions. To increase the gross domestic products of our country since agriculture sector  bring job to above 75% of Rwandan population. To create jobs for women, unemployed youth and other professional. It will also increase the availability of food to consumers, farmers and others thus reducing malnutrition among Rwandan families. Families will also have access to education through getting skills form extension experts as well as their children will be able to attend school.

CURRENTLY

• 230 people
• Comprises of  200 small scale farmers who have accepted to  work with us plus 30 workers

NEXT YEAR

• Target community: 10 districts in eastern and Southern part of Rwanda
• Estimated Population:2000 people
• Target market:800 households

5-YEAR PLAN

• Estimated Population:5000 people
• We planned to work in all part of the countries and planning to operate our project in Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

We have the goals of allowing small holder farmer to get access to water in all season of the years with increasing their produce ,income and their standard of living. Providing the small-scale farmers with water to irrigate their farms through drip irrigation, seeds, farming tools and  and build their capacity through providing training and  farming techniques.To help small scale farmers to double their crops which will help them to be food secure while reducing poverty in their regions. To increase the gross domestic products of our country since agriculture sector  bring job to above 75% of Rwandan population. To create jobs for women, unemployed youth and other professional. It will also increase the availability of food to consumers, farmers and others thus reducing malnutrition among Rwandan families.  To help families to have access to education through getting skills form extension experts as well as their children will be able to attend school.

We have the barriers of farmer's ignorance in implementation of drip irrigation and they are not familiar with its benefits.  Unexpected price fluctuation of crops become challenges but most of the crops are of low quality. Low capital from our project and  and inability to attract any grants because as small holder farmers Are unnoticed in the eyes of donors and banks consider them as people who are not bankable so that to get loan become more problems. Technical assistance from experts are still low and there is need of support from them. Marketing is challenging such as to advertise our service to other part of the country. Competition with other solution become also challenge. Lack of access to enough finance; we are lacking sufficient amount of money to develop the implementation of our solution which is very helpful to small holder farmers boosting their yields and increase their income resulting to higher living standard of life shifting from living under $ 2 to more than $ 5 as their income per day.

In order to overcome our barriers, we planned to do the following:

• Training small holder farmers and bringing them experimental learning through had-on experience and technical support by using demonstration  in order to help them becoming familiar with overall activities. We panned also to give them training with the aims of showing them the benefits of drip irrigation to sustainable agriculture practice. We will help them with advocacy in finding out markets for their produce both nationally and international in order to help them to gain income. We will also build strong good partnership with microfinance, government agencies to help farmers to get both capital(loan)/grants and other assistances. We also planned to show aptitude and impacts of our innovation as strategies of finding funds from other stakeholders. 

Number of Team:6 people

Number of  Team member :6

Highest level of Education :Undergraduate

Degree                            : B.Sc.  of Conservation Agriculture

Specialization                :Irrigation and Mechanized agriculture

Minority                        :Communication, leadership ,Agripreneurship

Other skills                  :Fundamental of starting and running business, extension and other skills

Organization:Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture

• They provide us technical assistance  agribusiness skills and other support

Our values are:

1. Reducing poverty to small holder farmers through drip irrigation system
2. Conservation of water through reduction of water use for better yields
3. Cost reduction of unnecessary expenses through cutting edge in agricultural input, etc.

• We believe that MIT could be the perfect partner in order to have achieved our mission of providing  drip irrigation project to farmers because it can provide technical assistance as well as  innovation skills. MIT could help us to get funding by levering financing partnership with MIT SOLVE donor fund , directing us to right film where we can get funding as well as providing networking because there are many institutions that can help us.

 We believe that work together with MIT Solve will expand our business through achieving  the goals of allowing small holder farmer to get access to water in all season of the years with increasing their produce ,income and their standard of living.To help small scale farmers to double their crops which will help them to be food secure while reducing poverty in their regions. To increase the gross domestic products of our country since agriculture sector  bring job to above 75% of Rwandan population. To create jobs for women, unemployed youth and other professional. It will also increase the availability of food to consumers, farmers and others thus reducing malnutrition among Rwandan families.  To help families to have access to education through getting skills form extension agents as well as their children will be able to attend school.

Any MIT or faculty initiative that will be interested with Drip irrigation technology as well as SOLVE Africa alumni to provide advisory service  as well as mentor-ship

All available support shall be dedicated to impact women and unemployed youth(girls) in agricultural sectors and agribusiness as well as helping them to learn how to step forward in agribusiness.

Our team will use innovation for Women Prize to help many unemployed and disabled women/girls to lease the land so that they must be employed as we have seen many women are unemployed

we also qualify for the AI for Humanity Prize to support our Internet of things and the machine learning for adding value chain to crops through learning on our platform which will become good initiatives for economic development.