Solar powered irrigation pump

Malawi heavily depends on rainfed agriculture which rains only in 4 months.8 months have no rains.Malawi is rich in water sources but the people around it irrigate using watering cans and treadle pumps which is very tedious and as a result can irrigate small fields resulting in low yields that do not feed people around the year.Low yields also results in low sales and entrapping people in poverty.

The provision of solar powered irrigation pump will ensure that there is increased irrigated acreage and food /cash crop production  that will result in food and financial security in the homes.More food leads to good health and reduction of diseases and death rates.Financial stability resulting in education,good housing and business diversification.

In essence this solution will enhance the use of the untapped resources of Malawi for the well being of many malawian who are endowed with plenty of water and land and growing market. 

The main problem that small scale farmers face is to dig tunnels form water sources like streams ,rivers or lake Malawi. Usually the fields to be irrigated are on the higher ground and the water sources below.Farmers find it practically impossible to dig irrigation tunnels from the water sources below  to water their crops.Some farmers use treadle pump to pump water up but they have to use their physical strength which makes the work very hard and thereby reducing the acreage watered consequently affecting productivity,food security and financial output.In a worst scenario farmers use watering cans holding 10 litres of water and obviously  a non starter.

In Mzimba and Rumphi where Total Community implements its programmes over 46,000 farmers face this problem everyday.The situation is the same everywhere else in Malawi with a population of over 18 million people.This problem is augmented by the poverty levels in the community and the shortage of the technology to circumvent this problem.The provision of solar powered pumps would increase the chances of these poor farmers to produce more food for their families and cash crops for socio-economic improvement. Malawi is rich in water resources and sunlight to power the irrigation pumps.

The Solution is the provision of solar powered irrigation pump.The solar irrigation pump uses solar power to pump water and push it up against the gravity to water the fields of crops.Attached to the pump is the pipe system to the field that waters the field.The farmers will not use his physical strength to pump the water to the fields.The pump will irrigate more acreage than what a man could do physically.All this depends on the availability of the sun which is always available in Malawi located in the tropics.

The target population is that of simple peasant farmers from Rumphi and Mzimba district in Malawi.Seven years I lived in  a community of Zowe in Mzimba and I watched them everyday toiling in the field to feed their families with very little returns.I saw their frustration that they had water resources to grow crops  through irrigation but were helpless because they could not dig water tunnels up hill.I saw how they were trapped in their poverty.

I have engaged the communities several times and together came up with this solution.I came up with a solution that would be cheap and sustainable and reduce their work load but consequently increase their productivity and progress.Once the solar powered pump is provided they don't need buy fuel to operate it everyday,all they need is sunshine that is freely available through out the year n the tropics.

I have helped them with manure making training to cut down the cost of fertilizer and encourage organic farming.Have engaged them in business training and market linkages.Market linkages will help them to competitively market their produce.

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