Solar Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) Toolbox
Due to a drop in solar panel prices, solar pumps for irrigation have increasingly become an economical, technical and environmentally viable option. However, one major drawback in the uptake of the technology is still a lack of information on solar pumps for irrigation. Farmers struggle to get sound information in order to make informed decisions on investing and maintaining SPIS.
The Solar Power Irrigation System Toolbox (SPIS TB) has been jointly developed by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It provides a holistic set of practical materials through which advisors can guide their clients towards a financially and environmentally sound choice.
After undertaking a SPIS TB Trainers course in November 2018, certified WISEe Trainers, together with GIZ and FAO, successfully trained over 120 experts and practitioners at national and international workshops in Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Malawi. Trainees came from 14 countries including Nigeria, Togo, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Mali, Zambia, Cameroun, Burkina Faso, Benin and Germany, and 40% were female.
The 2-5 day trainings’ covered various aspects of SPIS including agronomy, water management, design, operation, maintenance, irrigation management, markets and finance. Learning was enhanced through hands-on exercises, group work, site visits and show-casing of products. Trainees exchanged ideas on how to create enabling policy environments for the sustainable use of SPIS in their respective countries
Additionally, WISEe trainers carried out 9 SPIS Toolbox Training of Trainers (ToTs) to 141 staff members of the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) in Kisumu, Allupe, Lichota and Homabay.
The project provided participants with an overview of the SPIS Toolbox as well as in depth knowledge and comprehension on the 9 modules with a focus on 5 main tools: Farm Analysis Tool, Water Requirement Tool, Pump sizing Tool, Soil Tool and the Payback tool. These tools fall under the Safeguard Water, Invest, Design and Irrigate Modules of the SPIS Toolbox. On completion, trained LBDA staff should be able to train industry players in their community and areas of impact on the SPIS Toolbox and apply it in their Solar Irrigation Projects.
