Irrigation Solutions For Small Scale Farmers
There are currently 1,322,601,076 people in Africa and this population will grow by 200 million people in the next five years. By 2030, Africa will be home to 20% of the world’s population. By 2050, Africa’s population will be 2.4 billion people. This population growth is driving global food demand higher. This is, in turn, driving the food prices high. Africa’s food systems are currently valued at US$313 billion a year. There can never be a better time for investing in agriculture.
However, there are major challenges affecting food production in Africa. The dry spells are becoming more and longer due to climate change. This means that farmers are not assured of all-year agricultural production because of the scarcity of water.
The most perfect solution for the above challenge is irrigation because it ensures that farmers produce food all year round. Irrigation also increases the yields and hence an increase in income for the farmers and food for the general population.
One of the bottlenecks affecting the massive adoption of irrigation by small scale farmers is it’s high initial cost. This means that it cannot be easily afforded by small scale farmers. Several innovations are being implemented which are making irrigation affordable and easy to implement.
Characteristics of an ideal irrigation solution for small scale farmers
For an irrigation innovation or intervention to be relevant to small scale farmers, it should have the following characteristics
- Affordability; It should be cost-effective such that the initial and recurrent costs are not too high. However, it should be able to carry out the irrigation job effectively and efficiently.
- Durability; The system should be able to work for a relatively long time with little or no usability issues. It should also come with a warranty and or warranty. These are an indication of how the supplier trusts the equipment he or she is selling you.
- Flexibility; The systems should be able to be moved from one garden or farm to another. This enables the system to be used by multiple farmers or in different gardens. Increasing the capacity through modification or addition of a few items should also be easy.
- Security; Farmers would like a system than easily be moved to a secure place or the one whose equipment cannot be easily stolen if left in the garden.
Sprinktech Solutions;
Banking on our technical knowledge and experience in the irrigation industry, we have developed irrigation solutions that are durable, affordable, flexible and secure.
Some of the sprinkler irrigation solutions for small scale farmers that we have developed include one and three-acre sprinkler irrigation packages that are meant to make irrigation affordable and easy for small scale farmers.
These kits come with an engine pump, flexible pipe, a suction pipe which is wire reinforced, a rain gun sprinkler and all the connection fittings. These are complete units and when a farmer purchases one, they take them directly to farm to irrigate without adding on any other component. (check here to see how to connect them)
| ITEM | Specifications | ||
| 1-acre kit | 3-acre kit | ||
| 1 | Engine pump | 28 mH | 65mH |
| 2 | Suction pipe | 2”* 7 meters | 2”*7meters |
| 3 | Delivery pipe | 2”* 90 meters | 2”*300 meters |
| 4 | Rain gun sprinkler | 20-meter radius (mist sprinkler) | 35 meters (Luxor) |
| 5 | All connection fittings | ||