Malawian Innovators Introduce Pay-As-You-Go Solar Water Pumps to Revolutionize Farming

Malawi-Admore Chiumia and Joyce Sikwese, the co-founders of Green Impact Technologies, have introduced innovative alternative energy technologies to accelerate the growth of the agriculture sector in Malawi, writes Tiwonge Kampondeni, MANA.

The company, established in 2018, aims to provide access to electricity, alternative energy sources for cooking, technologies for cooling services, and innovative smart technologies for farming on a pay-as-you-go business model.

Sikwese explained the company's pay-as-you-go solar water pump technology for irrigation farming in a recent interview.

She expressed her concern about Malawi's continued reliance on rain-fed agriculture, which has become increasingly vulnerable to climate change-accelerated droughts and dry spells in a region with abundant water sources.

"We came up with an innovative idea of integrating solar water pump with a pay-as-you-go software that allows farmers to pay in instalments for some time while using the system," said Sikwese.

She added that the software controls the pump, and when payments are not made, the pump will not work even when switched on.

The target audience for this innovation is small-scale farmers who lack the funds to purchase irrigation equipment in one payment. The pay-as-you-go system enables farmers to make payments in instalments, making it more affordable for them. Additionally, the solar water pump is cheaper to operate since it uses solar power, making it a more cost-effective solution for farmers.

Sikwese, who grew up in a rural community and was raised by smallholder farmers, has always been passionate about supporting Malawian farmers.

"I have always wanted to provide answers to Malawian farmers. So, as I grew up, I came to understand the struggles these farmers face to raise huge sums of money for investing in farm inputs like a water pump," Sikwese said.

Their innovation has earned them global recognition, including a cash prize of U$100,000 during CoP27.

The funds will be used to support the distribution of smart climate solar water pumps to more smallholder farmers on a pay-as-you-go basis, and part of the money will also support organic fertilizer production.

This innovative technology is set to revolutionize farming in Malawi and potentially transform the agricultural industry in other regions facing similar challenges.

It will provide small-scale farmers with affordable and reliable access to water, ensuring a more sustainable and reliable food supply.

The recognition came at a time when many farmers are still struggling with dry spells and drought.

"I was thrilled and motivated to be named one of the 20 winners of the 2022 Youth Adapt Innovation Challenge," said Sikwese. "In the back of my mind, I could see the beautiful smiles of smallholder farmers in rural communities."

She noted that it is clear that most farmers cannot sustain the pumps that use diesel.

"Our system has proven to be sustainable since we started, and we have not faced any serious issues of non-payment. Our conditions of service are friendly and sustainable."

"We are targeting over 150,000 farmers in three years and intend to work with cooperatives. We are currently working with farmers in the Central region and planning to extend to other districts in the Northern and Southern regions," Sikwese added.

Daniel Zabweka Mkandawire from Traditional Authority Wasambo in Karonga had his maize field near Lake Malawi, yet his crops were destroyed.

"Part of my field dried, and I just turned it into food for my cows. We have the lake some 300 to 400 meters away. The painful thing is that we don't have the equipment to pump the water from the lake to my field. I can't afford to buy a pump," Mkandawire said.

In a country like Malawi, where agriculture accounts for 30% of GDP and generates over 80% of national export earnings, more technology and innovations are needed to promote resilience in the agriculture sector.

Green Impact Technologies is one determined Malawian organization that has innovated a solution for farmers like Mkandawire.

Precious Kadam'manja from Lilongwe is one of the beneficiaries of the Green Impact Technologies innovation. He bought the pump so that he can farm throughout the year.

"The rainfall is just for four months, the other eight months are dry, so I have ventured into irrigation so that I can farm throughout the year. I am trying to multiply my source of income, and I want to increase production," Kadam'manja said.

Tsangano Turn Off Farmers Association chairperson Raffic Jossam said their association is into irrigation farming because they grow different crops like maize, cabbage, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes throughout the year.

The association started with diesel pumps, which were not sustainable as they proved to be very expensive.

“When we learned about the pay-as-you-go solar water pumps, we agreed to switch as fuel was proving to be very expensive. We now have five water pumps. Our association has 320 members in five clubs. We started with one pump per club, taking turns, and it is working out perfectly and sustainably,” said Jossam.

Malawi's Irrigation Master Plan of 2015 states that the total area to be irrigated using affordable gravity-based technologies is 407,862 hectares, but only 145,000 hectares have been developed.

Jeffrey Mamba, the Principal Secretary responsible for Irrigation in the Ministry of Agriculture, said that solar pumping has been established as a technology that is succeeding fossil fuel-powered pumps such as treadle pumps.

Mamba welcomed the idea of different players promoting irrigation through the loaning of solar-powered pumps, saying, "If NGOs or the private sector loan out pumps, it is a welcome idea. As the government, we would like the players to consider conditions that are friendly to the farmers. We will be discussing them as we try to develop more areas and avert ourselves from the dry spells we are currently experiencing."

Thousands of farmers in Malawi are now practising irrigation farming and producing more food thanks to the solar water pump.

Green Impact Technologies has won several awards, including the D-prize in 2018, Seed Accelerator in 2019, United States African Development Foundation (USADF) in 2019, Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP) Africa in 2021, and the Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) Program in 2021.