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Hello ,
Scaling up portable solar pumps
It is estimated that sub-Saharan Africa has more than 30 million small-scale farmers, all of whom face periods of extreme drought during which they are unable to farm. Their annual investment capital is limited to an average of €400, which they earn from their harvest. Their unguarded fields are often located more than a kilometre away from their homes, where they cannot leave any equipment behind.
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Jacana has been given the opportunity, through a donation from Partners for Water (Dutch goverment) to:
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- improve the portable solar pumps,
- prepare for mass production,
- developing software that enables a sustainable supply chain,
- to test and optimise the whole system.
Together with various user groups, work has begun on designing the Self-supply App, which facilitates sustainable supply chains in developing countries and manages logistics between manufacturers, warehouses, shops and customers. Charities like NGOs who want to help small-scale farmers with irrigation can use the app to monitor how many pumps have been supplied and what the impact of their programme is. That impact does not stop at the number of farmers who receive a partially sponsored pump; it also includes the shops and, more importantly, the farmers who are not directly involved in their programme but are inspired by it and purchase a non-sponsored pump themselves (=Self-supply).
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Partially sponsored versus unsponsored.
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How partially sponsored projects inspire people to solve their water problems themselves.
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Example of a discount coupon.
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Meanwhile, the pump has been improved and is now in full-scale bulk production.
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The improved pump and software were then tested in Chipata, close to Jacana's headquarters. This was done to iron out any teething problems.
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NGOs can give their beneficiaries (farmers) a discount coupon with a unique QR code (see above), which states how much the farmer has to pay the retailer and how much the NGO is sponsoring. The farmer can take the coupon to one of the shops in the neighbourhood and, upon presenting the coupon and paying their small commitment fee, receive the portable solar pump from the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper then takes the coupon to the distributor and receives a new portable solar pump, which they can sell again.
The shopkeeper can, of course, also sell directly to non-sponsored farmers, in which case the full amount is charged. Everything is recorded in the app. Each pump and solar panel has a unique QR code and is scanned. This allows the warranty and maintenance of the pump to be tracked and the direct and indirect impact of donors to be measured (see graph above).
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User research
In November, a user survey was conducted among 100 farmers in three provinces. Some of the results:
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- With the exception of one user (whose solar panel broke and had to be replaced), everyone is using the pump.
- 69% rate the amount of water per day as excellent. No one thinks that the system provides too little water for their needs.
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- 90% of users use the pump for agriculture or livestock. Only 10% use the pump solely for domestic purposes, while 18% use the pump for both agriculture and domestic purposes.
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- 55% use the pump in a hand dug well or scoop hole, 12% in a borehole, and the rest in a dam, reservoir, river or stream.
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- 98% find the pump sufficiently portable.
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- 64% use the USB charger port on the panel.
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Users have indicated that they would also like to use the panel for other purposes. Therefore, in addition to the existing USB output, the new version will have a third output that can be used to connect a battery, home lighting, a television, and an AC converter.
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Scaling up
The portable solar pump is now available in the Eastern, Southern and Central provinces of Zambia. Partnerships have been established with a number of NGOs (like DAPP, WorldVision, SNV, Action Against Hunger, Camfed, ResponseNetwork, ADRA, Share Africa, Environment Africa and others). All parties (distributors, retailers, NGOs) have been trained in the use of the Self-supply App. Retailers have spare parts and have been trained in the maintenance of the portable solar pump, so that if there are any complaints, they can quickly resolve them themselves.
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To date (March 2026), just over 200 pumps have been partially sponsored, and more than 800 people have been inspired to purchase a pump themselves without waiting for a subsidy. The Self-supply app collects evidence of this and publishes it live on https://portablesolarpumps.com/customers.
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Introduction of the portable solar pumps in other African countries
The markets in Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, and Mozambique are currently being tested.
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It is a huge success in Kenya. Jacana is working with Water for Ever, and in no time, the portable solar pumps were sold out and a new order was placed. Water for Ever is currently setting up a supply chain in Kenya, Uganda and Somalia.
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At the agricultural conference in Nairobi, the portable solar pump attracted a great deal of interest from the press (see article below) and visitors from all walks of life. The four people manning the booth did not have a moment's rest.
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Jacana continues to roll out the product in Zambia and is seeking reliable partners in other developing countries to collaborate in providing small-scale farmers with affordable and portable irrigation equipment.
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