Solar-wind hybrid water pumping (GEF Small Grants Program)
Follow up visit to monitor gardening & cattle watering activities
MFC made this follow up visit to check on the activities of the project, mainly gardeing and providing water for cattle to enable the cattle market to start functioning. MFC also checked up on the performance of the wind solar hybrid pumping system, including taking down the wind turbine tower.
Please click on images for higher resolution.
The basins for watering cattle are close to the water tank, which is around 800m from the site of the pumping system and the garden (left & centre), cattle must come to drink in order to survive the dry season, and the creation of this water source allows animals to be concentrated in the area and will eventually make it possible to operate a cattle market, which can provide income to the local population (right).
An area of 1 ha has been set aside for gardening, close to the wind solar hybrid pumping system (left), a woman transports water from the basin to the plants on her head (centre), different groups of around 25 women come twice per day every day to look after the garden, for around 1 hour of intensive work each time, including planting, watering and weeding (right)
A young woman from the village reaches down to access the water in the basin (left), water is given to the plants using watering cans (centre), a woman returns with empty buckets to the basin (right).
Organic compost is produced from cow dung, found in great quantity around the cattle watering basins, and can dramatically improve productivity (left), lettuce is produced in the garden (centre), tomatoes are also popular and delicious in the hot dry season (right).
Women bring their children to assist with the work (left), as is the case just about everywhere in Africa, women engage in lively discussions while working hard (centre), women also mobilise the men in their family to assist with the work (right).
Download video clips of gardeing activities in Karangana using water from the solar wind hybrid system:
Woman watering garden (2.8 MB)
Woman watering plus a view of the whole garden (6.7 MB)
Women water their plot (3.1 MB)
Women take water from the basin (7.1 MB)
