Solar-Powered Water Pumps for Regenerative Agriculture
by The Rainmaker Enterprise
THE CHALLENGE
Lack of access to water in South Sudan is both a cause and consequence of war which continues to worsen the humanitarian situation. South Sudan lacks water infrastructure and the few available water points are a constant source of intertribal conflicts. Most solutions to the water crisis in South Sudan focus on drinking water. While this is vital, water for farming and livestock is equally important, particularly during drought when failed harvests and livestock deaths can drive extreme hunger and economic devastation.
THE SOLUTION
To address the issue of water scarcity, the Rainmaker Organization for Sustainable Development installed solar-powered water pumps and sensor-driven drip irrigation systems in villages across South Sudan. By introducing these climate-smart technologies, Rainmaker provided a total of 3000 people with clean water for safe drinking, watering livestock, and irrigating farms. This resulted in successful peanut harvests on 40 acres of land irrigated by the new water source. Rainmaker’s team also focused on building local capacity while creating jobs, specifically by hiring approximately 50 individuals, including women and youth, to work on a range of farming and technical maintenance activities throughout the project period. In a final survey conducted, 100 percent of respondents said their household health had improved over the past year due to the increased accessibility of clean drinking water. Several others reported starting brickmaking and operating small vegetable gardens, attaining new sources of income amidst a challenging economic context.
