Northern region farmers benefit from Solar-Irrigation Project
More than one hundred farmers in the Northern Region are benefiting from a $200,000 solar-powered irrigation project funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
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The contracting company, New Energy, has mounted solar panels on the beneficiary farms which power water-pumping machines to draw water from nearby lakes to irrigate the farms.
So far, a total of 15 hectares of the farmlands at Tamalgu in the Karaga District; Nakpanduri in the Bunkpurugu Yunyoo District, and
Fooshegu and Datoyilli, both in Tamale, are benefitting from the facilities.
The crops being grown include grains and vegetables.
The project, which is supported by the Energy Commission, is under the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.
During a visit to one of the project sites at Tamalgu by Mr Bossman Owusu, the Communications Analyst of the UNDP and his team, the beneficiary farmers were seen working on their respective farms.
Improved yields
The farmers described the project, which began in 2014, as very important because it had increased their yields and enabled them to harvest about three times more in a year instead of the existing practice where they could harvest only once annually.
Mr Iddrisu Abubakar, a beneficiary farmer and President of the Farmers Association in the area, said previously they had challenges with water supply during off-rainy seasons.
However, “ with the provision of the solar-powered water machines, we are able to work on our farms throughout the year,” he indicated.
Mrs Hawawu Adam, also a beneficiary, said the project had not only increased her output, but her revenue, thus enabling her to support the education of her children.
New Energy
The Chairman of New Energy, Mr Amadu Mahama, said initial attempts to support the farmers to go into irrigation farming were unsuccessful due to the high cost of electricity.
He indicated that the solar infrastructure for the irrigation project was more cost-effective, compared to other sources.
Mr Mahama said the company had trained some of the farmers to maintain solar panels and operate the water-pumping machines.
UNDP’s support
Mr Bossman also said the UNDP’s decision to fund the solar-powered irrigation project was born out of its desire to ease the suffering of farmers, increase their productivity and revenue.
He said typically, farmers in the area could only harvest their crops once a year, and indicated that the solar-powered irrigation project supported the farmers to harvest their crops twice or three times annually.
Mr Bossman also said it was only when the farmers got increased revenue that they could cater for the education of their children to enable them to become responsible citizens in future. “The solar-powered irrigation project is to lift farmers out of poverty,” he explained.