Vegetable Program and Small Scale Irrigation

 

The objective of this program is :

• To support the development of family-based agriculture and small-scale producers.

• To provide additional income to women's groups.

• To improve nutrition of families in remote villages near the river.

 

To achieve this goal, ADENN is involved in awareness and training local people :

• By carrying out pilot demonstration projects.

• By visiting with an internship in our AATDC.

• By monitoring and assisting beneficiaries in the field.

• By manufacturing and promotion of hand pumps, pumps and pedals of drip-drip irrigations systems suitable for harsh environments.

 

Irrigation program with solar pumping :

 

The purpose of this program is to allow producers to irrigate small areas (up to 2 hectares) using solar power to pump water from the water table, or in combination with micro-irrigation, or from the river to flood the fields.

 

Why promote solar? Irrigation with a generator pollutes and is expensive :

• Pumping from an aquifer with an electric pump connected to a generator consumes too much fuel compared with the pump flow: this type of irrigation is not profitable in our area (average depth of 15 to 20m).

• The gasoline or diesel pumps  that flood the fields by the river are easy to install and the purchase price is relatively good-walk. In contrast, the consumption of oil, fuel and maintenance generate very high operating costs in comparison with solar systems. The return on investment for this type of application is between 3 and 4 years.

 

The drip irrigation system (Sahelian Garden) :

 

The drip irrigation system is for gardens located in the sand with limited access to water. After three years of experimenting with systems sold in Senegal, ADENN created its own concept from locally available materials. The drip system "ADENN" is very simple but also very robust and reliable. It is around 2-3 times cheaper than the systems marketed in Dakar. "Moringa" trees are planted in the periphery for protection against the wind and to enrich the diet of families. This approach allows for campaigns to be between seasons and to significantly increase the income of small-scale farmers. A 250m2 kit produces an average of 50 crates of tomatoes which can generate around 150'000CFA on the local market. A local trains beneficiaries and keeps track of the installation of the garden.