In order to assure all-year vegetable production in their areas, the majority of smallholder vegetable farmers in three northern regions have decided to use a solar-powered irrigation system.
Farmers in the Upper West, Savannah, and the North-East raise their crops.
They decided to use the solar-powered irrigation system during a workshop for vegetable producers organized by the Market Oriented Agriculture Programme in North-West Ghana (MOAP- NW) to share ideas on how to promote excellent agronomic practices in the area.
The program also served to promote solar solutions to the farmers as a replacement for their petroleum-fueled generators, which have proven to be costly. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Pumptech, an irrigation equipment distribution firm, are working together to encourage farmers to switch to solar irrigation.
Most vegetable farmers had previously relied on petroleum-powered irrigation systems, which proved too costly to operate and did not allow them to engage in year-round vegetable production due to the fact that they only have one rainy season.
The MOAP-NW initiative, which is being conducted by GIZ with money from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, has chosen to subsidize solar technology costs by 50% for women and 40% for men.
The initiative, which is being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, aims to boost smallholder farmers' vegetable productivity in order to improve their livelihoods and provide economic possibilities and growth.
In 2021, IWMI, Pumptech, and MOAP-NW formed a solar irrigation equipment partnership to enhance demand and supply linkages and catalyze the development of irrigation technologies and services, particularly solar power-based irrigation technology.
IWMI and Pumptech are spearheading the provision and access to irrigation equipment, having conducted research on how beneficiaries may get information and harness accessible water bodies, such as wells and rivers, for all-year vegetable cultivation.
Irrigation
Desire Naab, an IWMI Research Technician, spoke about the significance of irrigation water to crops and noted that they had been working on scaling up irrigation technology and water management solutions in the northern region of the nation since 2013.
These methods and techniques, he claimed, had been proven to boost agricultural yield in irrigated areas.
As a result, he said IWMI was teaming up with Pumptech, an irrigation equipment distributor, to bring best agricultural practices to smallholder farmers and help them improve their operations.
IWMI opted to pilot solar-powered irrigation equipment in the Upper West Region as a result of the relationship with Pumptech and MOAP-NW, he added.
Moses Tampoe, a Pumptech executive, expressed his delight that the farmers had chosen to adopt solar-powered pump technology, which, despite the high initial investment, had a longer life lifetime and were less expensive to maintain since the sun was readily accessible.
Mr Tampoe stated that they would revitalize the agricultural sector in order to strengthen the economy, and that they would ensure the installation and maintenance of solar devices, as well as building farmers' capacity to use them.
Regina Misah, a female vegetable farmer, emphasized the delight of the smallholder farmers at the prospect of improving their livelihood through the initiative.
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