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Tanzania Replication Action

Replication action description

The Tanzanian replication actions will focus on solar irrigation and intends to provide farmers, predominantly women, with interventions of solar PV technologies for irrigation. InfoSpots will be created at selected community centres, allowing the women network to achieve free access to information on the use and maintenance of the pumps, as well as other business opportunities related to energy usage.

The replication action in Tanzania is located in the rural settings of Mwanza, Iringa, Kigoma, Ruvuma and Dodoma Region. The activities are conducted jointly by the successful companies from the 2nd SESA Call for Entrepreneurs. As part of this call, the Tanzanian medium-sized enterprise SimuSolar has been selected.

 

SimuSolar is assisting smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change, to impact food security by increasing the quality and yields of their crops,
increasing their incomes, and decreasing their dependence on fossil fuels by providing solar irrigation pumps. 

As part of the replication actions, SimuSolar will provide the relevant technological solutions, technical expertise as well as project support needed to replicate and scale-up a customized lease-to-own business model for solar irrigation pumps in Tanzania. This replication and scale-up will particularly focus on enhancing the affordability and accessibility of solar water pumps for small-holder farmers, expanding into new regions and addressing the barrier of financial sustainability for scale-up

A second set of solutions is proposed to focus on productive use of energy for livelihood support. Here the final solutions have not been selected yet and are still in discussions.

 

Replication action activities

Solar Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers (SimuSolar):

• Replication and Expansion of business model and deepening of presence in regions with high-density smallholder farmers in Tanzania.

• Scale solar irrigation solutions to 300 low-income smallholder farmers in new regions

• Scaling of marketing & education campaigns on solar irrigation solutions benefits for rural communities to decrease time needed for customer acquisition.

• Improve technical and functional requirements of existing solar irrigation systems

• Develop scenarios how to increase profitability for low-income smallholder farmers (customer surveys on yield and income increase)

 

Description of the problem addressed

There are several challenges that the Tanzanian replication action  is working to address

On Irrigation, solar refrigerators and Movable solar generators

  • High upfront cost of acquiring solar irrigation system
  • Low scaling rate of solar irrigation system
  • Low number of success stories from previously deployed solar pump system
  • Absence of affordable mechanism for lending solar water pumps
  • Low level of awareness towards solar powered solutions
  • High cost of operating entrepreneurial activities during evening markets
  • High cost of operating petro diesel pump for irrigation 

Objectives

The replication action in Tanzania will be replicating a “pay as you go” system of solar powered irrigation alongside a company known as Simu Solar.

 

 

 

1

Provide access to pumping technology and improve farm productivity in areas lacking electricity

2

Decrease cost of productions thereby increasing profitability of smallholder farmers

3

Reducing climate risk for farmers who depend on rain for irrigation

4

Increasing quality and quantity of harvests through regular, appropriate irrigation

5

Eliminating the cost of fuel used in diesel or petrol-powered irrigation pumps

Technology being tested

 

The replication site in Tanzania will be replicating a “pay as you go” system of solar powered irrigation alongside a company known as Simu Solar.