Affordable, High-Performance Solar Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers

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Overview

Project

Affordable, High-Performance Solar Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers



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Collaborators

Angaza Design (United States)

Encap Technologies (United States)

Location Applied

Kenya

Website

KickStart International


In Kenya, solar-powered irrigation technology remains prohibitively expensive, far beyond the means of poor smallholder farmers. There is also limited demand due to lack of awareness of clean energy technology and the aforementioned prohibitive cost. KickStart’s clean energy solution will not only greatly reduce the cost of the irrigation hardware, but, through the introduction of a PAYG mechanism, will provide farmers with flexible financing options that will further promote affordability and, therefore, demand.[1]


Clean Energy Solution

KickStart and its partners will focus on designing a clean energy solution with the farmer in mind—a high-performance yet easy to assemble, highly mobile, robust and durable unit that requires minimal maintenance. KickStart will design a foldable, flat pack solar irrigation pump that is easy for farmers to install. As Encap’s pumps are both low cost and highly efficient, they only require small solar panels. The addition of an innovative, flexible and reliable PAYG system will provide the farmer with affordable, alternative modes of payment and, by substantially de-risking the provision of credit, will attract investment from traditional lenders such as banks and microfinance institutions.[1]



Impact

KickStart aims to transform the food and income security of smallholder farmers by enabling them to transition from rain-fed subsistence farming to year-round commercial irrigated agriculture. Over the next six years, KickStart plans to sell approximately 270,000 pumps across 16 countries in Sub Saharan Africa and estimates that 30 percent of these could be solar powered.[1]


Organization

KickStart was established in Kenya in 1991 with the mission to lift millions of people in Africa out of poverty quickly, cost-effectively and sustainably. KickStart designs, promotes, and mass-markets simple irrigation pumps that smallholder farmers buy and use to start highly profitable family enterprises. KickStart has partnered with Encap Technologies to provide motors for affordable, solar-powered irrigation pumps and with Angaza Designs to incorporate a ‘pay as you go’ (PAYG) mechanism.[1]


Further Information


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Powering Agriculture: http://poweringag.org/innovators/affordable-high-performance-solar-irrigation-smallholder-farmers



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