ecologics – newsletter story

Ecologics Competes With Powered Pumps in Kenya Sun 17 Jun 07

THE FARM

Mr. XXX owns a 2acre piece of intensively farmed land situated near Nairobi on which he grows bananas; french beans, tomatoes for cash and maize and beans. He also keeps several dairy cows and goats. The farm borders a river and services the community’s irrigation needs. Each of the crops is on a quarter acre plot. The rest of the plot is left for the home stead.

He and his wife tend the farm but during banana planting, irrigation and harvesting, they employ two casual laborers whom they pay at the rate of kshs100 per to help with the work.

THE PUMP

In spite of his land being steep with a gradient of more than 20%, Mr. XXX irrigates the entire plot using the foot pump. Of more interest are his 130 banana stools which he waters at least twice a week. He says it takes about three hours to irrigate the entire plot on bananas.

MERITS OF THE PUMP

It takes only six strokes (one stoke is one litre) to adequately irrigate a single banana hill.
It takes so little effort to pump water, his wife and children are able to assist with the pumping, greatly reducing his labor costs
It reduces irrigation costs greatly compared to the methods commonly used in the area i.e fuel pumps, donkey carts and bucket irrigation. On the same plot where he only employs one extra hand at a cost of Kshs 100, he would spend double that amount for fueling a petrol pump.
It also has not required servicing and repairs.
He also uses the foot pump to pump water home for domestic use and livestock water needs.
The pump is also shared by the neighbors and nearby relatives, who borrow on a daily basis for about an hour to irrigate their banana and French beans plots.

CONCLUSION

The farmer says that the pump has helped him save costs. Though he has a petrol pump which he uses when he has money, he remarks that he wishes still keep the foot pump to reduce his fuel costs.

ECOLOGICS COMMENTS

Small scale farms surrounding Nairobi are among the most intensively farmed in Africa due to their close proximity to such a major market. In this case the farm is a highly developed unit comprising 2 acres of steep hillside with a gradient of 20%.

In general the irrigation of this farm would be very challeging for a manual water pump.

Not only has the Ecologics High Capacity Step Action Water pump been proven capable of irrigating under these conditions, it is also being loaned on a daily basis to other farmers to take advantage of its surplus capacity.

The field test has also highlighted the operating cost advantages in comparison to powered water pumps and supports the "additional value" inherent in Ecologics highly unique and patented water pump design.

Ecologics thanks TechnoServe Kenya and its farmer clients for their kind co-operation

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Home Newsletter Small-scale Mining Small-scale Irrigation Step Action Pump Gravity Concentrator Accessories Downloads Contact Us	ecologics – newsletter story Ecologics Competes With Powered Pumps in Kenya Sun 17 Jun 07 THE FARM Mr. XXX owns a 2acre piece of intensively farmed land situated near Nairobi on which he grows bananas; french beans, tomatoes for cash and maize and beans. He also keeps several dairy cows and goats. The farm borders a river and services the community’s irrigation needs. Each of the crops is on a quarter acre plot. The rest of the plot is left for the home stead. He and his wife tend the farm but during banana planting, irrigation and harvesting, they employ two casual laborers whom they pay at the rate of kshs100 per to help with the work. THE PUMP In spite of his land being steep with a gradient of more than 20%, Mr. XXX irrigates the entire plot using the foot pump. Of more interest are his 130 banana stools which he waters at least twice a week. He says it takes about three hours to irrigate the entire plot on bananas. MERITS OF THE PUMP It takes only six strokes (one stoke is one litre) to adequately irrigate a single banana hill. It takes so little effort to pump water, his wife and children are able to assist with the pumping, greatly reducing his labor costs It reduces irrigation costs greatly compared to the methods commonly used in the area i.e fuel pumps, donkey carts and bucket irrigation. On the same plot where he only employs one extra hand at a cost of Kshs 100, he would spend double that amount for fueling a petrol pump. It also has not required servicing and repairs. He also uses the foot pump to pump water home for domestic use and livestock water needs. The pump is also shared by the neighbors and nearby relatives, who borrow on a daily basis for about an hour to irrigate their banana and French beans plots. CONCLUSION The farmer says that the pump has helped him save costs. Though he has a petrol pump which he uses when he has money, he remarks that he wishes still keep the foot pump to reduce his fuel costs. ECOLOGICS COMMENTS Small scale farms surrounding Nairobi are among the most intensively farmed in Africa due to their close proximity to such a major market. In this case the farm is a highly developed unit comprising 2 acres of steep hillside with a gradient of 20%. In general the irrigation of this farm would be very challeging for a manual water pump. Not only has the Ecologics High Capacity Step Action Water pump been proven capable of irrigating under these conditions, it is also being loaned on a daily basis to other farmers to take advantage of its surplus capacity. The field test has also highlighted the operating cost advantages in comparison to powered water pumps and supports the "additional value" inherent in Ecologics highly unique and patented water pump design. Ecologics thanks TechnoServe Kenya and its farmer clients for their kind co-operation << back to main newsletter page