A step Forward in Farming and Dry season Gardening at Minyala Village in Same District

Application of Money Maker Pumps to improve small scale irrigation systems by farmers themselves:

Thanks to financial and material support of United Nations - World Food Program and hard work of the team of Kilimanjaro Hope Organization (KIHO). On Wednesday, 23 and Thursday, July 24th 2014; the Kilimanjaro Hope Organization had a pleasure to be able to supply 7 manual pumps to farmers of Minyala village. On Wednesday 23rd, the three development initiative groups namely, Miu Mwera Group, Mwamko Group and Kilimo Hai Group, each received a complete set of the Money Maker Pump.  

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Also on 24th, the members of HATUUMI and TUMI Groups each received a complete set of Money Maker Pump. The Money Maker pumping system is a new technology to be applied by farmers for the first time in at Minyala village.
This technology and machines will help in facilitating and make easier the work of irrigating the farms and vegetable gardens, instead of the old system of farmers carrying water by use of buckets from the wells to water their plants and seedlings throughout the agricultural season.

Minyala is ne of the villages in Vumari Ward, in Same district; one of the semi arid zones in Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania. The village comprises of approximately 1600 people (1606 inhabitants and a total of 315 households).

Geographically, this village is crossed by a seasonal river which appears like a basin accumulating waters from either-side Mountains, surrounding the village and supplying present subterranean (bottomless) water. The bottomless water tablecloth being little deep and for the moment insufficiency of wells (from two to three meters deep to access ground water) to be able to irrigate fields; the pumps will not only help in supplying water to a bigger and wider areas but also, reduce the burden experienced by farmers. These shallow wells are dug approximately every 30 meters to reduce the necessary routine (walking) for the manual irrigation of farms and gardens.

Hopefully, the appropriate utilization of pumps will have the following predicted benefits to the farmers:

• Reduced workload and time spent by men and women especially, for irrigating farms and gardens.
  
• Increment of economic multiple uses of run-off water for appropriate livelihood options e.g. small scale fish farming
  
• Increment of quantity of agricultural harvest per area per agricultural season
  
• Possibility to fit in other variety of crops and vegetable not formerly grown
  
• Introduction of third agricultural season in the village “ Dry Season Farming and Gardening”
  
• Attraction to middle men coming to buy agro products, at large quantity right from the fields.
  

Each Pump given to a group is equipped with two pipes (one of 25 meters in length for irrigation and the other one of 10 meters expulsion (discharging water from the shallow well), enough to allow irrigating 2 acres per day; 4rubbers (piston),2 spring wires(as spare parts),as well as the manual book.

  KIHO staffs organizes a “One Day Training Session” to the beneficiary group members before or after delivering of the pumps. However the capacity building trainings to group members are on continuous basis.

The capacity building training sessions (above pictures) are organized for group members. The trainings focus on various beneficial subjects including the following:

• Good governance, accountability and leadership skills ▪ Gender empowerment and development
  
• Skills on preparing successful local fund raising events▪ Appropriate entrepreneurship skills
  
• Climate change and adaptation ▪ Environmental conservation measures
  
• Project ownership/monitoring/evaluation and sustainability
  
• Book keeping and simple financial accounting ▪ Writing of constitution/bylaws of the group
  
• Preparation of short and long term development plans for the group’s activities and initiatives
  
• Appropriate farming techniques of managing run-off waters aiming at promoting sustainable multiple uses of water
  

The director of KIHO, Mr. Kateri Genes Daniel (bellow pictures) giving to the representatives of the local farmers’ development initiative groups, some magazines on agricultural practices and initiatives in Tanzania, “Mkulima Mbunifu Jarida la Kilimo Endelevu Africa Mashariki”

The farmers from Uhai Group (before and after) using Money Maker Pumps while irrigating vegetable gardens at Minyala village. The outcomes of this new technology are quite visible as you can see Mama Sophia Mohamed harvesting Broccoli (Sukuma Wiki) on Saturday 2nd of July 2014 – to be sold at the Sunday’s Market in Same District.

A handy dug shallow well - Source of water for dry season gardening A farmer, Mama Sophia Mohamed using bucket weighing 20 liters to (A shallow is just 2 meters deep where ground water is accessed)

Irrigate her vegetable gardens (before the group has had a Pump)

 


The outcomes of this new technology are quite visible as you can see Mama Sophia Mohamed (bellow left) harvesting Broccoli (Sukuma Wiki) on Saturday 2nd, July 2014 – the produce was transported and sold at Sunday’s District Public Market in Same Town, July 2014.

The Executive Director of KIHO (bellow on the right) visiting the farms and holding Pumpkins harvested from the irrigated gardens, using the new technology “Money Maker Pumping System” at Minyala village Uhai Group