Pumping water uphill

By 2050 70% of the world population will be in the cities.  Rapid land conversion from agricultural to industrial and commercial purpose is taking away prime agricultural lands. Agriculture in the uplands has become risky because of the dependency on unpredictable rainfall (Climate Change) with crop failures through sudden droughts, without irrigation having no chance for a second crop or diversification of products.  The farmer population is aging rapidly, and the young ones not interested in the present farming system.  AIDFI having seen the uplanders without having easy access to drinking and or irrigation water developed a crossbreed model of an old forgotten technology: the hydraulic ram pump.  The ram is a device which utilizes the energy contained in falling water to lift a portion of the water running through it to high elevations.  It is based on local materials and spare parts and can be scaled through technology transfers.

Society expects people living in the uplands to protect our resources, including water but ironically do not have easy access themselves.  In terms of drinking and domestic water, villagers in many cases need to bring water up manually, limiting consumption to around 40 liter/day/household.  This makes lives for them very hard: time and money spent for fetching, kids skipping classes for fetching, health and sanitation issues, difficulties in doing laundry, limitations to grow vegetables and raise livestock or fish.  Farming in the uplands without irrigation is also more than challenging: production has become uncertain with sudden periods of droughts, no option for a second crop or to diversify to high value crops.  Present irrigation methods are not feasible for different reasons: elevation to high from source, high repair and maintenance cost, limitation in source of power (sun, wind, or electricity), cost of fuel and high cost of transportation of fuel and lack of capacity off villagers  Food production is therefore limited.  There are hundreds of thousands of villages and farms in the world facing the above-mentioned unnecessary problems daily.  On the other hand, food production in general is decreasing and hard to expand or increase in the lowland areas.

The AIDFI model is a perfect device for pumping water to higher than the source elevated farms.  Especially for far flung areas, it is important that the technology is under control of the farmers in terms of knowledge in operation, repair and maintenance and the simple, cheap, and easily replaceable spare parts.  The principle of the pump is conversion of velocity into pressure.  A ram system needs a free-flowing source: spring, stream, or river.  It consists of an intake structure, a slanting pipe running to the pump, a delivery pipeline, and reservoir with distribution system.  Water flows down through the slanting drive pipe and a mechanical valve in the ram pump opens and closes, creating pressure surges, enough to push a portion of the water to high elevations.  The pump operates automatically 24/7 and does not emit any Green House Gasses.  The model of AIDFI is a robust and efficient crossbreed model of expensive and hard to import commercial models and the by universities developed inferior DIY models.  The AIDFI pump is locally manufactured in a centralized place with the idea that it can completely be maintained in remote areas and for that local village technicians are trained.

The beneficiaries are small scale upland farmers who mostly live from just one crop cycle and often are indebted because of low production.  The average age of the farmers is 57 years and their kids are not interested in agriculture because of the difficulties.  Their farms are often on hills and have a source of free-flowing water down but which they are not able to tap because of lack of resources and high cost of operation.  AIDFI has been working in those areas for many years and most staff come from similar farming areas and therefore understand the culture.  A survey with the farmer is conducted to see what size of pump is needed and how much water can be expected on the farm.  During the installation, the farmers are involved in the set up to understand the technology.  Once installed, the ram brings up the water to a cheap but reliable ferro cement circular reservoir which can also be utilized for Tilapia culture.  The water stored can now be used for irrigation of crops, a second crop and diversification of crops, resulting in higher production and income. The idea is to get the young ones interested through innovative technologies.

The ram pump technology can be used for both small and medium farms.  The AIDFI model comes in eleven sizes.  The impact is big since the water coming from the ram pumps results easily to a double or triple production in uplands compared to similar rainfed farms.  The ram pump does not emit Green House Gas and utilizes run-off surface water and by that is in harmony with nature.  The ram pump is a technology which is placed under full control of the farmers in terms of operation, repair and maintenance and ideal since it has hardly any operational cost. 

The ram pump was a forgotten technology, overtaken by the Industrial Revolution and later the cheap energy prices. When I started working with the technology in the Philippines in 1990, it was completely unknown. My first design was kind of a DIY model which turned out to be inferior in quality and performance.  I then quickly moved on to a crossbreed model by taking the best of commercial and DIY models.  The result the robust and efficient AIDFI ram model which we patented.  The actual installations started promoting themselves and the ram got popular.  AIDFI’s work is for 90% focused on the ram pump technology and as a social enterprise the work is carried out with passion and the biggest reward are the happy faces of the beneficiaries. There have been short lived attempts in copying our work but fabricating good quality ram pumps and setting up sustainable systems is not that easy.  Many (out for easy money) backed out, except one who sells his systems at very high prices and we do not consider him a competitor.  The strength of AIDFI is in the holistic package around the technology which earned us a partnership with the Coca Cola Foundation since 2012.  There are other sources of power like wind, solar, grid and fuel but pumps powered by those sources have their limitations by either not able to pump high, expensive source, high transportation cost (for fuel), high repair and maintenance cost and in many cases unreliable sun or wind.

The AIDFI ram is a unique crossbreed model of an old existing technology.  It is designed for manufacturing with local skills, materials, and spare parts.  The main spare part is an ordinary door hinge.  The idea is centralized quality manufacturing with decentralized operation, repair and maintenance, the technology knowledge completely transferred to the village and with cheap spare parts, easily available and replaceable.  For sustainable systems, AIDFI incorporated the set-up, registration and training of water associations which manage the systems. Community facilitators arrange for MOA’s for right to use or right of way and introduce the associations to the local government units and agencies for possible further development.  AIDFI is always working on new innovations.  It manufactures plastic recycling machines through which sturdier ram pump gaskets are produced. Through evaluations unfair distribution and difficulties in collection of water fees were observed and therefore AIDFI started developing a coin operated water kiosk which initially did its job in fair distribution and increased collection (up to three times) but the design had so many sensitive electronic parts. Just recently we developed a unique and promising mechanical coin operated kiosk, which works perfectly and with as main spare part a cheap easily available toilet rubber flap.  The kiosk is planned to be patented.  Another issue was the difficulty in monitoring because of remoteness.  An App was developed through which the associations encode monthly data on water delivered, repair and maintenance carried out, meetings held, and water fees collected and transmit those to AIDFI.  

From a complete unknown technology in the Philippines, the ram is now well known through the actual installations of AIDFI.  The technology, through the effort of AIDFI, was in 2012 institutionalized in the Department of Agriculture as one of the three renewable energy technologies for small scale irrigation of High Value Crops. When AIDFI in 2007 thought that the model was technically ready, it participated in the Ashden Award and became a finalist.  This resulted in AIDFI doing three installations in Afghanistan, immediately followed by technology transfer to Afghan engineers here in the shop of AIDFI in the Philippines.  The AIDFI model is since 2008 being manufactured and installed by the Kargar Brothers.  This was followed by transfers to Nepal, Colombia, and Mexico.  For its holistic community approach AIDFI in 2011 received the Ramon Magsaysay Award (Asian Nobel Prize).  As a result, AIDFI started working with Coca-Cola Foundation in returning to nature or people the water used in their bottling process. The partnership resulted in already over 7.5 billion liters pumped uphill to water-less communities. A company like Coca-Cola won't continue the Agos program if it would not have great impact.  They already reached their target but would like to continue implement ram pump projects.  AIDFI has installed systems in 570 villages and farms with 270,000 beneficiaries.  Some 1200 ram pumps were manufactured.  AIDFI trained over a thousand village technicians.  Then AIDFI ram pumps can be found in 15 countries while complete technology transfer took place to 4 countries

The ram pump installations are carried out through short term interventions in which period AIDFI as technical service provider tries to work hard on creating ownership over the technology by the community. Mostly this is a period of around 3-4 months in which a holistic approach is applied from social preparation (legalities, set up, registration and training of water association and introduction to local government units and agencies), actual installation, training of local technicians and formal turnover.  Monitoring through the App is continued afterwards and if required, technical or organizational interventions can be done.  Often the association is the first organization in the community and helps the women to be equally involved.  Many associations consist of 50 or even more percent of women since water is a big concern for them.  But besides water also other community issues are being discussed and this empowers the member, especially the women.  There are also communities where the old community cooperation called ‘Bayanihan’ is being revived through common activities, like cleaning of public spaces.  Then many associations register themselves in the local government units and become members of development councils.  This is exactly the idea of AIDFI: the ram pump triggering further development/empowerment in the communities.  There are associations which were able to save substantial amounts from the water fees (mostly between 1-2 dollars/month) collected and besides using those for operation, repair and maintenance, expansion of the project to complete new activities like buying pieces of land for vegetable production, fishpond and means of transport to monitor the project.  In the program of AIDFI funded by Coca-Cola Foundation a livelihood program was added and implemented by another organization which used the local available resources as their starting point.  The training's and later marketing of products concerned coco sugar, virgin coconut oil, souvenirs from bamboo, papaya soap and so on.  AIDFI started working long term in two upland communities with ram pumps and initiated the formation of essential oil producers associations, which grow lemon grass and process those in oil in factories in the mountains since 2005 and 2010, which is marketed by AIDFI.

So far AIDFI has implemented systems in 570 villages and farms with a total of 270,000 beneficiaries reached. This is besides the number of beneficiaries reached by other local installers of AIDFI ram pumps and the AIDFI model ram pump being manufactured and installed in Afghanistan, Nepal, Colombia, and Mexico.

On a yearly basis AIDFI now does some 20 ram projects itself which add around 10,000 beneficiaries. 

For the next five years the numbers will be more or less the same with more ram projects shifting to irrigation with lesser beneficiaries than the usual drinking and domestic water projects. 

There are many dreams, ideas and plans for this and the coming five years.  

For the next year to:

• Patent the newly developed mechanical (coin) operated water kiosk which provides 20 liters water for a one-peso coin (2-dollar cent), to protect the invention from being copied
• Install initially a minimum of 200 water kiosks for fairer distribution and higher collection
• Distribute some 50 mobile phones with monitoring App to water associations
• Install 20 ram pump water systems
• Sell a minimum of at least 50 ram pump units to independent installation teams or private clients
• Find funding for the transformation of the present techno park to an interactive ram pump park showcasing the different applications (actual working ram installation, drip, sprinkler irrigation, water filtration among others)
• Search for CSR partner willing to off set its water or carbon footprint in ram projects

Next five years to:

• Continue ram installations for both drinking and irrigation
• Establish selling points for ram pumps all over the country
• Partner with micro credit groups for financing of ram systems
• Set up some 1000 water kiosks
• Train new independent installation teams in Philippines
• Carry out ram installations in other countries, most probably at least in Chile, Costa Rica, Thailand, and India
• Carry out technology transfer to interested parties in other countries
• Organize water summits attended by water associations of installed ram pump systems for all over Philippines

For this year there are several barriers caused by the COVID-19. 

• There are different restrictions for movement in different places (read islands) in the Philippines through which AIDFI is not able to survey or install systems.
• Our main funder Coca-Cola had decided to divert all planned funds for water projects to COVID-19 activities in urban, peri-urban and schools, so no new ram projects for the rest of 2020 funded by Coca-Cola Foundation.    
• Despite being an environment friendly technology (using only surface water and not emitting GHG), AIDFI needs in some cases to go through the slow legal process for environment clearances.

Next five years:

• Uncertainty of continued programs with Coca-Cola despite their intention
• Same environmental clearances issues
• Dealing with government funded projects because of bureaucracy and corruption

For this year:

• Concentrate on finding and implementing ram projects in areas with less restrictions, preferable on our island of Negros and neighboring island of Panay
• Continue communication with Cola-Cola to keep the relationship warm but also scout very actively for other funders and that includes local government units, national government programs, NGO’s and private clients
• Search and approach possible CSR programs for ram projects
• Develop a strategy in which the technology can be explained and demonstrates easily to those involved in the environmental regulations

For the next five years:

• Search for CSR programs
• Apply the developed strategy for the environmental regulations
• Develop a solid system of dealing with government projects by sub-contracting with clear terms without any form of corruption on our side

The whole organization is involved in the ram pump technology and that numbers to 40 regular staff and 1 contractual.

AIDFI has highly committed, passionate, and skilled staff with years of ram pump experiences and the only one in the world concentrating full time on ram pumps for rural development on scale.  Many staff come from the grassroots themselves and very much know the situation and culture of the target beneficiaries. The team is complete in terms of having different departments complement each other and complete the necessary approach to manufacture quality pumps and accessories, durable systems, and well-prepared communities for the sustainability of the projects.  AIDFI has an active and passionate Board and Management Team.  The CEO is mainly linking the Board and in charge of networking and fund sourcing.  The CEO already worked with ram pumps in 1984, has experience in fabrication and international installation and presentation of the work of AIDFI.  He was last year awarded as the 2019 St. Teresa of Calcutta Award as ‘Engineer of the Poor’.  While the COO (Management Accounting graduate) oversees all operations.  The team covers innovation, technical services (surveys, studies, and guidance of installations), community & enterprise development, warehouse and logistics, technical production and installation and sales & marketing.  AIDFI has assets like a 3000 m2 lot with office and 650 m2 workshop equipped with precision machines.  There is also the new product development center (innovation lab) and the plastic recycling area for production of ram parts. It also owns trucks for the transportation of ram systems.  AIDFI is anytime ready for international assignments or technology transfers with international experienced staff.

Before 2012 AIDFI was running the ram pump program one project at a time with different clients or financiers.  In 2012 the Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) here in the Philippines was selecting renewable energy driven pumps for small scale irrigation of their High Value Crop Program.  AIDFI presented its ram pump in a workshop and used its working miniature ram set for demonstration and was selected.  The BSWM on a yearly basis implements around 25 systems and most of the ram pump come from AIDFI and AIDFI has also installed many systems for the BSWM.

Also in the beginning of 2012 AIDFI was selected with the ram pump as a technical solution for the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc.(CCFPI) to offset the water used in their bottling by providing the same amount of water to people (villages) or nature. The program called Agos had a huge impact and despite the fact that the target has been reached, continuous. After mainly working with drinking water projects, the program expanded to productive use.  There are two programs wherein CCFPI, DA and AIDFI are partnering together.  CCFPI providing the funds, DA identifying the agricultural sites and AIDFI implementing the ram pump irrigation projects. The target sites are in the poorest agricultural provinces and in agrarian reform communities.

The program with CCFPI is mostly in batches and has made the implementation for AIDFI more efficient.

Customer segments

- Government agencies

- Corporate Social Responsibility programs

- Foundations and other NGOs

- Private individuals

Value proposition

We offer low-cost technologies solutions for far-flung communities and private individuals. Our main product is the ram pump which is sold per unit or included in a whole water system. Aside from these technologies, we also sell essential oil produced from our assisted communities on the island of Negros. We offer complete packages from survey to social preparation to post project monitoring.

Revenue streams

- Grants

- Small donations

- Revenue from technologies

- Revenue from essential oils and by-products

- Revenue from Coffee shop operations

Channels

We communicate to them by pitching through contests or directly with target customers who are looking for a solution such as ours to help them achieve their target goals.

Customer relationships

We developed a constant monitoring tool that enable us to provide customers on a regular basis data on the provided systems installed. For some, the relationship lasts longer than the endeavor up to a period of 10 years.

Key activities

- Production

- Social Preparation

- Project Monitoring

- Technical Services (survey and installation)

- Post-Project Monitoring

Key resources

- Pool of highly trained technical people

- Years of experience on the ram pump technology

- 1,000 square meters building with workshop complete with machines and equipment for production

- Transport vehicles

- Operating capital

Key partners

- Communities

- Funding agencies

Cost structure

- Material cost

- Labor cost

- Salaries

- The dependency of AIDFI on one big donor.  Maybe Solve can assist in the search for another or more CSR programs of companies which would like to off set their water and or carbon foot print since both are possible with the ram pump.  There are calculations of carbon saved by the use of the non GHG emitting ram pump. Water off setting is also easy to calculate since each pump has a water meter at the end of the delivery line.

- Not mentioned as a barrier but very much welcomed is if there are technical issues, further improvement on the ram or water kiosk which can be made together with Solve or its partners

Promotion of the AIDFI ram pump through the Solve channels, maybe resulting in new projects or even technology transfer.

- New CSR partner through Solve would help AIDFI continue and maximize its operation to implement quality systems for more beneficiaries in far flung communities.

- Technology Innovations would have as goal to simplify or coming up with more robust and less susceptibility to repair and maintenance.

- Media coverage with as goal possible new CSR partner, projects or technology transfer to another country.

Difficult to answer that question now.  If we get to know the possibilities at MIT and the network of Solve members, we can think of appropriate ideas.  I can imagine that at the MIT there are test facilities and knowledge which made help our ram or new water kiosk to be further improved.

The ram pump technology has a great impact on women and girls.  Before the ram system came in a village, water was fetched manually from much lower elevated sources, often between 50-200 meters and had to be carried over difficult and during raining season dangerous tracks.  This limited the daily consumption to two containers with a total of 40 liters.  Just enough for drinking, cooking and dish washing and a little bit for other purposes. Most of the houses in the village in such situation didn't have any CR, making it difficult to take a bath and had to make outdoor their CR, especially for women and girls. Actually all aspects of their household activities were difficult.  There were many health issues because of waterborne diseases and skin diseases through lack of bathing. For laundry they had to bring clothes down and up to the water source below and needed to bring children because they couldn't trust them to stay alone at home. Then without water left no vegetables could be grown easily, or flowers or raising of animals or fish. A very difficult life with the most affected the women, girls and elderly. Not only completely changed that situation with free flowing water near their houses in an increased volume,  but also women got a big say in the newly established water associations.  In many of such associations women make up 50 or more percent of the officers.  Their voices are heard and not limited to the water issues.