In Most places, the availability of irrigation water is dependent on monsoon patterns or the availability
of power to operate ground water pumps. Many farmers lack access to electricity. Given this lack of
electricity, diesel pumps are often the most reliable means to pump the water that is used for irrigation.
The use of diesel fuel has many drawbacks, including environmental pollution, as well as ever-increasing
costs which have a negative impact on farmers’ economic prosperity.
Global Farmtech is developing a pay-per-use irrigation service that uses a portable solar pump. The
portable design will provide affordable, convenient, and on-demand irrigation. The service will meet the
needs of a wide range of farmers who do not own pumps, with no upfront capital costs incurred. The
farmer will call a toll-free line, pre-pay, and schedule irrigation service at his field.
The project will enable farmers in most places to irrigate larger amounts of farmland independent of the
monsoon patterns or the availability of power to operate ground water pumps, resulting in increased
production during the summer season, and allowing funds saved on the purchase of diesel to be
invested in more efficient technologies. All of these results will increase farmers’ productivity and
income, while decreasing Green House Gas emissions. The project will also create employment in
agriculture, as farmers and other prople have the opportunity to become local irrigation service
providers.
About 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods—and smallholder farmers account for 90 percent of food production in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, many farmers barely produce enough food to feed their families, leaving no money for investing in tools and technologies that could increase yields.
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