Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T21:45:11.487Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

EVALUATING THE POTENTIAL FOR LOW ENERGY EMITTERS TO FACILITATE SOLAR-POWERED DRIP IRRIGATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2020

G. Van de Zande*
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America
S. Amrose
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America
A. G. Winter
Affiliation:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Introducing irrigation to smallholder farms in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) can increase food security, improve nutrition, and reduce poverty. To explore the possibility of using drip irrigation on smallholder farms in SSA, we introduce a feasibility study that views the design space from both a user-centered lens, explaining how drip might be successful in the future, and from an engineering lens. With a first-order model, we compare estimated capital costs of drip and sprinkler systems for various farm profiles and show that drip has the potential to be a viable technology for many farms in SSA.

Type
Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

References

Ali, B. (2018), “Comparative assessment of the feasibility for solar irrigation pumps in Sudan”, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 81, pp. 413420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, R. et al. (1998), FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 56, Rome, p. 333.Google Scholar
Amede, T. (2015), “Technical and institutional attributes constraining the performance of small-scale irrigation in Ethiopia”, Water Resources and Rural Development, Vol. 6, pp. 7891.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blank, H.G., Mutero, C.M. and Murray-Rust, H. (Eds.). (2002), The Changing Face of Irrigation in Kenya: Opportunities for Anticipating Changes in Eastern and Southern Africa, International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka.Google Scholar
Burney, J. et al. (2010), “Solar-powered drip irrigation enhances food security in the Sudano-Sahel”, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 107 No. 5, pp. 18481853.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO (Eds.). (2017), The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017: Building Resilience for Peace and Food Security, FAO, Rome.Google Scholar
“Futurepump”. (2020), Futurepump, available at: https://futurepump.com/.Google Scholar
Grant, F.R. (2019), Development and Validation of a Systems-Level Cost Optimization Tool for Solar-Powered Drip Irrigation Systems for Smallholder Farms, MIT, Cambridge, MA.Google Scholar
Hagos, F. et al. (2012), “Agricultural water management and poverty in Ethiopia”, Agricultural Economics, Vol. 43, pp. 99111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartung, H. and Pluschke, L. (2018), The Benefits and Risks of Solar Powered Irrigation, FAO and GIZ, p. 87.Google Scholar
Kebede, H. and Birru, E. (2018), Guideline for Irrigation Agronomy, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources Small-Scale Irrigation Development Directorate, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Mati, B.M. (2008), “Capacity development for smallholder irrigation in Kenya”, Irrigation and Drainage, Vol. 57 No. 3, pp. 332340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ngigi, S.N. et al. (2001), Low-Cost Irrigation for Poverty Reduction: An Evaluation of Low-Head Drip Irrigation Technologies in Kenya, Annual report, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka, pp. 2329.Google Scholar
Otoo, M. et al. (n.d.). “Business model scenarios and suitability: Smallholder solar pump-based irrigation in Ethiopia”, p. 71.Google Scholar
Patil, S. (2019), “Skype conversation with Sachin Patil”, 9 September.Google Scholar
Pavelic, P. et al. (2013), “Smallholder groundwater irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa: country-level estimates of development potential”, Water International, Vol. 38 No. 4, pp. 392407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmitter, P. et al. (2018), “Suitability mapping framework for solar photovoltaic pumps for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa”, Applied Geography, Vol. 94, pp. 4157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shah, T., Verma, S. and Pavelic, P. (2013), “Understanding smallholder irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa: results of a sample survey from nine countries”, Water International, Vol. 38 No. 6, pp. 809826.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shamshery, P. and Winter, A.G. (2018), “Shape and Form Optimization of On-Line Pressure-Compensating Drip Emitters to Achieve Lower Activation Pressure”, Journal of Mechanical Design, Vol. 140 No. 3, p. 035001.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheline, C. (2019), Lowering the Cost of Solar-Powered Drip Irrigation Systems for Smallholder Farmers Through Systems-Level Modeling, Optimization, and Field Testing, MIT, Cambridge, MA.Google Scholar
Sokol, J. et al. (2019), “Energy Reduction and Uniformity of Low-Pressure Online Drip Irrigation Emitters in Field Tests”, Water, Vol. 11 No. 6, p. 1195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sokol, J., Sheline, C. and Grant, F. (2018), “Development of a System Model for Low-Cost, Solar-Powered Drip Irrigation Systems in the MENA Region”, p. 12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
“SunCulture Products”, (2020), SunCulture Products, available at: http://www.sunculture.com/index.php/products/Google Scholar
Yamegueu, D., Alokore, Y. and Corso, G. (2019), “Potential of microfinanced solar water pumping systems for irrigation in rural areas of Burkina Faso”, Energy, Sustainability and Society, Vol. 9, p. 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar