Aptech Africa recently commissioned a project for Welt Hungerhilfe for a village near Bangui in Central African Republic. This project involved borehole drilling, and solar water pump and irrigation installation. This system is irrigating gardens of 130m2, and the solar powered system is pumping 3,530 m3 of water per day. Horticulture crops irrigated from this system will be used to benefit the surrounding community.
Most families in Central African Republic rely on subsistence farming for their livelihood. Common crops include cassava, maize, millet, sorghum, rice and peanuts. Irrigation projects such as this one allow communities to grow more nutrient dense crops such as fruits and vegetables. As Central African Republic has an abundance of water resources, it has a huge untapped potential for irrigation and increased land productivity.
This irrigation system uses solar power to pump water to an elevated storage tank, thus eliminating the need for expensive diesel generators or grid powered electrification. Aptech uses high quality solar panels with a performance warranty of 80% after 20 years, meaning the system will be virtually maintenance free and provide huge savings for farmers. As the World Food Program reported in May of 2021 that half the population of Central African Republic is suffering from food insecurity due to ongoing conflict, projects like this are helping communities address hunger through solar solutions.
