CONTEXT
Busia District has more than 1000mm annual rainfall, so compared with many parts of Africa it regularly has sufficient rains for a good harvest. However, population growth has been extremely high in recent decades. In 1979 the population of Western Province Kenya was 1.83 million whereas this had risen to 4.15 million by 2006. Such rapid growth has resulted in a rapid reduction in the size of farms, and a great need to make more productive use of the land. This can be achieved through irrigation during the drier months, especially as the water table is often less than 10 metres below the surface and there are large swamps near Busia.
AIM
In this project the original plan was for SGG to invest up to ₤2000 for the purchase of 20 microirrigation footpumps to be used to encourage dry season vegetable production among OWDF’s farmers. As this project has achieved this initial aim, the project has developed into one providing a wider range of the resources which are needed to increase food production.
PROGRESS
The first investment in this project was in November 2006 when SGG sent ₤400 to OWDF. During December OWDF held its first demonstration & training day for farmers using this technology, and it was immediately clear that there was a demand for many more of these pumps. The original plan was for SGG to be involved in a January training day. However, Paul Keeley was committed to be in Tanzania throughout January, so the opportunity to discuss with all farmers groups was lost. As the footpumps would be particularly useful during the January-March dry period, SGG made a further donation of ₤1000 in early January so that OWDF members could use the equipment when it was most needed. This meant that the purpose of the visit was to monitor progress.
Members of Khabondi Youth Group demonstrate their new ‘moneymaker’ pump on their communal plot where they are growing sukumawiki for additional income.
A young lad at New Hope Emaseno demonstrates that you can have your daily workout while you are irrigating the tomatoes.
At the time of the 2007 SGG field visit OWDF offered the opportunity to visit all 14 pumps which had been purchased by that time. However, time constraints on SGG meant that only 6 farmers groups were visited. These were Khabondi Youth Group, Nalonja Small Self-Help Group, Buriang’i Youth Group, FON Self-Help Group, Matendo HIV Self-Help Group, and Bunema Womens Group. By April 2008 26 groups were using this technology and there continues to be a strong demand for such footpumps. One reason for this is that in the eitghteen months between SGG visits OWDF has increased in size from 45 to 51 community-based groups. Another reason is that one footpump shared between 20 farming households does not give the most efficient usage. Provided there are suitable water sources [many OWDF farmers cannot use these pumps because their land is too distant from a good supply of water], it would be more effective to share one moneymaker pump between perhaps 10 farming households.
During the September 2008 visit the monitoring of pumps was undertaken by John Harrison, a volunteer spending two weeks working with OWDF. Unexpectedly heavy rains meant that the pumps were being little used during this fortnight, but John managed to see most groups with such technology. As these pumps can provide food security during the dry season and also increased income for less than £1/person investment, SGG wishes to continue supplying this equipment.
Another demonstration of the moneymaker in use - with some small enthusiastic onlookers.
Discussions between John Harrison and some of the famers groups did establish some issues whch had not been previously considered. In addition to the issues mentioned in the 2007 field report, it was noted that:
- Some groups need to take greater care when storing the pump & hosepipes, especially as any split or wear in the pipes will greatly reduce the efficiency of the footpump. In one case the hosepipe, which had been left on the ground, had holes caused by gnawing rats. Where the pump does develop problems, these should be reported immediately as the moneymaker pump carries a year’s guarantee and is usually easily fixed.
- Some groups are not making best use of the pump, because it has been used to irrigate crops of low value, such as sugar cane. SGG recommends that these pumps are used primarily for high value crops [e.g. vegetables, tree nurseries] or crops with high nutritional value [e.g. vegetables, fruits]. A problem for some farmers in this respect is that their land is not particularly fertile or suitable for high value production. In this situation SGG suggests that irrigation should be practiced where soil fertility is regularly improved by composting. Other groups [e.g. FON] managed to produce sufficient extra in one year to pay for such a pump.
- A third difficulty was that within many groups there were farms with no suitable water source within hosepipe distance. For such farmers it will be necessary to develop other methods of cheap water supply [e.g. shallow wells, water-harvesting from roofs], because intensification of land use to supply a second or third crop each year requires the use of irrigation during the dry season.
These occasional problems should not obscure the fact that generally these moneymaker footpumps have been a great success. As mentioned elsewhere they are often the basis of a very significant increase in income - and that may partly account for the confidence and good mood among so many of the groups. Thus, SGG expects such pumps to be on the wish list of community groups for at least several years.
The biggest issue related to these pumps is not really a problem at all. Some groups have made other budget priorities. For example, Bukhayo West Widows when offered a footpump preferred to continue investment in their goat merry-go-round. Other groups on the fringe of Busia town [e.g. New Jerusalem] have limited land to irrigate. For these reasons SGG is now considering the possibility of establishing a microcredit scheme which would allow groups to gain funds for whatever their needs happen to be.
The basis of such a microcredit would be:
- SGG opens an ‘uwezo’/community account at Barclays Bank, Busia in early 2009
- OWDF groups who wish to gain credit must be a registered Kenyan CBO [community-based organization] with their own bank account,
- there will be no credit for individuals
- funds available from SGG will be on the basis of matched funding where 50% of the money needed will come from within the CBO,
- CBOs must produce a strategic plan and the resource for which they need SGG credit must be an integral component of that plan,
- CBOs will need the written approval of both OWDF and SGG directors for their project before obtaining SGG credit, and
- this scheme will run until January 2010.
At the time of writing SGG has £800 which has been donated and allocated for water development among OWDF community groups. This will be the last funds available for the SGG purchases of moneymaker pumps to be given to requesting SBOs. From the next tranche of SGG funds, which are expected to be in January 2009, moneymakers can be purchased but only on the new 50-50% matching arrangement. Although the microcredit funds described above will be available for many necessary items, it is anticipated that most of the £2,000 funds initially available will be allocated to purchase moneymaker footpumps.