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The KickStart Pump
Most poverty-level subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa haul water from their wells to their fields by hand because they do not have the electricity to run pumps, or the funds for expensive gasoline, wind, or solar-powered irrigation systems. The founders of KickStart (formerly known as ApproTEC) realized that effective irrigation systems that do not require power generators would make it possible for farming families to multiply their crop yields and create profitable agricultural enterprises. So they invented an affordable water pump that can be run on human power.
In
2002, KickStart received the Accenture Economic Development Award for
their durable, low-cost water pump that farmers operate with a simple
stair-step mechanism (video).
The pump has helped more than 45,000 families turn their farms into
businesses, and it has lifted 225,000 people out of poverty. Since
winning the Award, KickStart has expanded its reach in Kenya and
Tanzania, launched a program in Mali, and exported their pumps to
farmers in more than 20 countries. Pump users generate over $45 million
in new profits and wages each year. The new revenue is equivalent to
more than 0.5% of Kenya's GDP and 0.2% of Tanzania's GDP.
KickStart's
core focus is on the subsistence farmers of Sub Saharan Africa
concentrated in countries like Mali, Kenya, and Tanzania. KickStart
also markets and distributes its irrigation products to underdeveloped
agricultural regions worldwide through other NGOs.
KickStart
focuses its efforts on Africa because Africa relies heavily on
agriculture to support its economy and people. Agriculture provides the
majority of the GDP and the majority of employment for most countries
in the region. Farmers do not have the money to buy farm equipment
needed to support more than their own family's needs. One of the major
problems is irrigation, because farmers must limit how much they plant
by the amount of water they can supply to their crops. Thus, irrigation
is a huge limiting factor for farmers of Africa, and for the economy
and wellbeing of the African continent as a whole.
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Bank
KickStart
http://www.kickstart.org
http://www.techawards.org/laureates/stories/index.php?id=28
approtec.mov
(- Kickstart pump in the field — by Rob Stephenson — last modified 2008-04-17 07:57
- KickStart in action — by Rob Stephenson — last modified 2008-04-17 07:58
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