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Affordable Photovoltaic PumpingDrip Irrigation Systems for Small-Plot

Farmers

Hardik S.

IMT, Ghaziabad

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Opportunity identification• In locations which are distant from the electric grid, water pumps

are usually run by diesel engines that require frequent maintenanceand depend on a regular fuel supply.

• In remote areas of developing countries diesel pumps are often

inoperable due to technical problems, resulting in a lack of waterand, therefore, an economic risk to the farmers.

• In recent years photovoltaic pumping (PVP) systems have proventheir technical maturity and high reliability in many remote sites indeveloping countries, thereby giving scope for the use of PVPcoupled to drip irrigation systems for cash crop production.

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Product description

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Value proposition• Greater reliability of PVP versus diesel systems• Despite extreme climatic conditions, the photovoltaic pumping

systems are robust and require low maintenance• For a certain range of applications and water demand, the cost of

PVP over the duration of its life is lower than the cost of dieselpumps and therefore offers economic advantages to farmers

• Compared to diesel systems, CO2 emissions are ten times lower,SO2 emissions as much as fifty times lower

•

The water balance is maintained because economics dictate thatsystems are not over-sized; therefore, the drip irrigation systemdelivers a water-saving means of cultivation of land

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Target Customer• owns a small plot of land.• earns less than $2/day.• needs to increase crop yield.•

current products are costly & complex

• There are 600 million poor farmers who lack access toirrigation control who need a means to grow crops

more efficiently. Growing more crops is their onlyforeseeable way to climb out of poverty, and we arecreating affordable products that can change their lives

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Marketing strategy• The sales focus will be on peri-urban small and medium-sized farms

that use energy and water conserving forms of irrigation to growcash crops on up to 3 hectares of land, generating income thatcould be used to finance a PV-based irrigation system

• For as little as $5, a family can purchase a system that will produce

enough vegetables to drastically improve their diet. Investing aboutan additional $15 will enable a family to greatly increase theirannual income by growing vegetables in the dry season.

• Sales executives will be sent to individual villages to explain thebenefits to farmers

• A handful of farmers will be given the systems free of cost so thatresults can be shown to the whole village

• The sales efforts will then move to neighboring villages

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Operations• To encourage sustainable distribution processes, suppliers of PVP

irrigation systems and their local partners or companies will beinvolved in the overall operation of the project.

• Additionally, great emphasis was placed on the training of project

partners and system users, resulting in a lasting support networkable to offer qualitative guidance to the farmers.

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Obstacles• Building belief in a new technology• In order to be economical, photovoltaic pumps have to be working

to full capacity during the whole year.• This requires the fields to be cultivated with successive vegetable or

permanent crops in arid climates.• The size of the field to be irrigated should be below four hectares.• The investment costs of PVP coupled drip irrigation are high.• Financial services and a credit facility for farmers could overcome

the investment barrier.• Demonstration projects and an advisory service for farmers are

essential to increase the deployment of PVP coupled drip irrigation

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Financial plan• Farmers who invest $20 in drip systems can grow

$100 to $260 of vegetables a year —withoutwaiting for rain.

•

Initially a roll out in 5 villages will cost $250including free trial systems• Cost to manufacture each system will be $2• Depending on the farmers requirements in the

villages – sales 10 systems per village willgenerate $100 and as word of mouth spreads nofree trial systems will be required.