A treadle pump used for low-cost irrigation. (Charles-Lwanga Malingu)
Northern Uganda receives low rainfall (600 – 1100 mm annually) and experiences longer dry spells (4 – 5 months) compared to other areas of the country. This makes the region vulnerable to drought, thereby increasing the risk of crop failure in most cases. Therefore, irrigation has the potential to improve land productivity. However, moving water from its source into cropland is labor-demanding for farmers, thereby making irrigation farming less profitable compared to rain-fed agriculture, even with the erratic nature of rainfall.
To engage in profitable irrigation farming, farmers have resorted to use simple contraptions such as the treadle pump. The treadle pump is used to move water from its source (which maybe a well, underground tank, valley dam or reserve tank) into the cropland with significantly lower labour requirements. This reduces the cost of irrigation and improves profitability. Treadle pumps are powered by human effort, with the legs and feet peddling up and down on treadles/ peddles that are connected to two small piston pumps. The pump is connected to a hosepipe, which dispenses the water, running from the water source into the cropland. This machine is gender-responsive because its energy requirements are very low and can thus be operated by any gender (men, women and teenagers).
Mechanically, a treadle pump is a suction pump that is placed on top of a well. It is designed to lift water from a depth of seven meters or less. It can lift five to seven cubic meters of water per hour (5-7 m3 hr-1) from wells and boreholes and can also be used to draw water from lakes and rivers. The pumping is activated by stepping up and down on a treadle/ peddles, which drive the pistons, creating cylinder suction that draws groundwater to the surface. The treadle pump can do most of the work done by a motorized pump, but costs considerably less. Its cost, including installation ranges between US$100 and 300. Since it is not motorized, it can also cost less (e.g. by 50%) to operate than a motorized pump. Many treadle pumps are manufactured locally, but they can be challenging to produce up to the right standards without highly skilled welders and production hardware. Use of manual rather than fossil fuel means that the technology is carbon neutral, another important climate smart dimension of the pump.
Despite its benefits, the adoption rate has been low due to the initial cost, which although is relatively lower compared to the motorized pumps, is still unaffordable by most smallholder farmers. To overcome this high cost, some farmers form groups, purchase one piece and share the cost among the group members. The second problem with this technology is the lack of nearby water sources, which may be a serious challenge or where the water table is very low and/or where porous soils do not allow significant harvestable water during rainy seasons. To ensure the technology is sustainable, farmers are building concrete tanks to harvest water from the roofs of their houses when it rains and use it for irrigation when the drought sets-in.
Localização: Padibe s/county Lamwo District, Northern, Uganda
Nº de sites de tecnologia analisados: Local único
Difusão da tecnologia: Uniformemente difundida numa área (approx. < 0,1 km2 (10 ha))
Em uma área permanentemente protegida?:
Data da implementação: 2012; menos de 10 anos atrás (recentemente)
Tipo de introdução
| Especifique a entrada | Unidade | Quantidade | Custos por unidade (Uganda Shilings) | Custos totais por entrada (Uganda Shilings) | % dos custos arcados pelos usuários da terra |
| Mão-de-obra | |||||
| Pumping | Man/days | 30,0 | 5000,0 | 150000,0 | 100,0 |
| Equipamento | |||||
| Treadle Pump | Piece | 1,0 | 1000000,0 | 1000000,0 | 100,0 |
| Horse pipes | Meters | 50,0 | 3000,0 | 150000,0 | 100,0 |
| Custos totais para a implantação da tecnologia | 1'300'000.0 | ||||
| Custos totais para o estabelecimento da Tecnologia em USD | 371.43 | ||||
| Especifique a entrada | Unidade | Quantidade | Custos por unidade (Uganda Shilings) | Custos totais por entrada (Uganda Shilings) | % dos custos arcados pelos usuários da terra |
| Mão-de-obra | |||||
| Labour for pumping water | Mandays | 30,0 | 5000,0 | 150000,0 | 100,0 |
| Equipamento | |||||
| Treddle pump | Piece | 1,0 | 1050000,0 | 1050000,0 | |
| pipe | Meters | 30,0 | 70000,0 | 2100000,0 | |
| Custos totais para a manutenção da tecnologia | 3'300'000.0 | ||||
| Custos totais de manutenção da Tecnologia em USD | 942.86 | ||||
Increased construction of underground reservoirs and roof water harvesting have increased availability of water for irrigation.
As the project was promoting the pump, sensitization about land degradation and options for improving management were also intruded to farmers, hence improving their knowledge on land degradation.
