A solar irrigation programme aimed at improving the lives of farming communities in Togo has started to yield results.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Union jointly funded the Project to Support the Social Component of Togo’s Rural Electrification Programme with $11.68 million. 0.75kw Centrifugal Water Pump
It has impacted livelihoods in around 500 rural areas in Togo by improving energy access to households, community amenities and small farms, said the AfDB.
The scheme is used to promote solar energy through off-grid solutions as part of the national programme, “CIZO” (light up). The programme includes providing school with solar kits.
By mid-September 2023, the project had installed 122 solar water heaters in health centres and provided electricity to 87 peripheral care units. In addition, 153 immersion and surface pumps have been deployed on farms.
The project aligns with two of the AfDB’s “High 5” strategic priorities, “Light Up and Power Africa” and “Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.
Kpadonou Hounlessondji, a respected farmer in the village of Aglanvikopé, in the Bas-Mono region of southern Togo, has been tilling the soil with passion since he retired from his job as a welder.
From a modest start in 2008, he now owns a vast farm that produces vegetables and maize.
“Thanks to the revolutionary solar irrigation pump given to me, my tomatoes, maize, carrots, cabbages and beets are doing better than ever.
“This ingenious technology, with its sprinkler system, ensures optimal irrigation across my land. It is far better than the system of pipes I was using previously. Now, my harvests are abundant, and my hives are producing good-quality honey,” he said.
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Dansou Kodjovi Zounbléo cultivates maize and “adéme”, a local spinach that is popular in Togo and neighbouring Benin. The former mechanic decided to venture into agriculture in 2002.
Almost two decades later, he also acquired the solar irrigation pump. Powered by solar panels, the pump allows him to water his fields without spending money on electricity.
“Previously, irrigating my fields was exhausting and took time and energy. Thanks to the solar pump, I now irrigate my fields efficiently and produce abundant harvests.
“That’s allowed me to respond to the growing demand for fresh produce, both in my Avégbo village and in the capital, Lomé,” explains Dansou.
His harvests have earned him enough money to hire additional workers. As a result, he is contributing to job creation in his village, offering young people a stable livelihood.
Kpadonou and Dansou are some of the 100 or so beneficiaries of the AfDB programme.
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