By Francis Mbewe | Project Leader
Elina farms outside Katete in Eastern Province, where she used to grow tomatoes, cabbage and onions for one rainy season and then stop. A diesel pump was technically affordable at $205 to $500, but the fuel cost made dry-season watering impossible, so her land sat idle for months.
In 2025 Kukula Solar changed that pattern. Through its project for 400 smallholders in Chipata and Katete, Elina received a portable solar pump and training on how to use it and grow more sustainably. With no fuel to buy, she began irrigating in August and September when market prices are highest, expanded from half a hectare to just over a hectare, and added carrots and potatoes to her rotation.
The money she once spent on petrol now pays her daughters' school fees and buys better food at home. That shift — from seasonal income and fuel dependence to year-round production and household investment — is exactly what Kukula designed the pumps to deliver across Eastern Zambia.
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