The project aims to promote a simple and cost-effective system that combines modern solar pumping technology with user-friendly gravity irrigation. This is ideal for smallholder farmers as it has low running costs and is simple to operate and repair. The project will start by drilling a new borehole and installing a highly efficient DC Solar water pump which fills a water tank 6 meters above the ground. A single long flexible pipe will come out of the tank and be used irrigate the farmers plots.
Uganda is one of the countries most affected by global climate change and its geographic position in the far north of sub-Saharan Africa makes it especially vulnerable. The availability of water is by far the most limiting factor for agricultural production in Uganda, as most farmers are reliant on rainfed agriculture. The availability of water for crops and livestock, especially in Uganda's Eastern and North regions, is already being affected by changes in weather patterns.
Farmers in Uganda are in real need of affordable irrigation system to help them cope with the changing climate that has led to many bad harvests in recent years. Currently, they plant twice a year, during the two rainy seasons. If they had access to irrigation technology, they could grow three crops per year. In many areas at Uganda the water table is between 1 and 20 meters below the surface, this huge aquifer of water is so close to the farmers, but they simply don't have the technology.
The project will implement a pilot of 8 acres with 8 farmers in Mbale Eastern Uganda. The total cost is 11.000$. In total each acre under irrigation can provide a family with around 11 M. Ugx (2.500$) additional income, meaning a total of 88 M Ugx(20.000$) will be generated for all the families involved in the project per year. The cost-benefit analysis shows that local farmers should already be taking the initiative to organise themselves into groups to utilise this cost-effective technology.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
