Seeking Support for Solar Irrigation Project

Size: 16 hectares, 50 farming families (about 250 people), $250K

Impact: Lifting those families from scarcity to sustainability

From Liz Heinzel-Nelson, Founder and CEO Emeritus of Villages In Partnership:

Climate change is wreaking havoc across Malawi. In a nation ranked among the four poorest countries in the world, temperatures continue to rise, rainfall patterns have become increasingly unpredictable, and communities that once relied on seasonal rains now face prolonged periods of drought. In Southern Malawi, the growing season is limited to just a few months: After March, there is often not a drop of rain until December.

Under these conditions, families are still forced to survive harvest to harvest. If crops fail or yields are insufficient, the consequences are devastating. Hunger becomes a daily reality, children suffer from malnutrition, and families struggle to afford school fees, healthcare, and basic necessities.

Yet we have seen firsthand that there is hope.

Through VIP's completed solar irrigation initiative in Samani, we have witnessed how reliable access to water can completely change a community's future. Farmers are growing food year-round, increasing household income, improving nutrition, and building resilience against climate shocks. What was once considered impossible is now becoming a model for sustainable rural development.

Inspired by these results, a leader in VIP's area of activity, Group Village Headman Disi, has offered 16 hectares of land to establish a new irrigation site that would serve Disi Village and the surrounding communities. While the long-term vision is to utilize the full 16 hectares, we would begin with approximately 6 hectares, allowing us to carefully develop the project while providing farmers with the agricultural and agribusiness training necessary for long-term success.

Which is more impactful: individual wells, or irrigation projects?

When considering how to spend $250,000, one might ask, Why not drill 25 boreholes, thereby helping about 5,000 people? Would that not be more impactful than an irrigation project that helps 250 people?

The answer is that wells and irrigation are not competing solutions. They solve two very different, equally critical human needs.

A well provides clean water for life. Irrigation provides food security--the ability to produce food and income for life. Communities need both to truly thrive.

Access to clean water is foundational. Drilling wells is a direct, proven solution that dramatically improves health, reduces waterborne disease, and frees up labor for economic and educational opportunity. Each well gives approximately 200 people reliable access to safe drinking water. A well alone, however, does not provide food security.

Food security is a much more complex challenge, which wells drilled for individual consumption are not meant to solve. In rural Malawi, most families harvest only once each year because agriculture depends entirely on seasonal rainfall. If the rains fail or end early-—as they increasingly do because of unpredictable weather patterns—-a family simply does not have enough food to make it to the next harvest. Children go hungry, assets are sold, school fees go unpaid, and families fall deeper into poverty.

Our experience with the Samani project has shown that solar irrigation changes that trajectory.

Our large-scale solar irrigation system in Samani Village directly serves approximately 50 farming families-—about 250 people. Combined with agribusiness training and access to markets, these families now grow crops throughout the year instead of only during the rainy season.

The results extend far beyond increased food production. Families are now:

  • Planting cash crops--crops that can be sold--rather than just what the family can eat.
  • Paying their children's school fees.
  • Replacing leaking thatched roofs with iron-sheet roofs.
  • Purchasing quality seed and fertilizer.
  • Investing in livestock that will provide future income.
  • Buying bicycles that generate income as bicycle taxis.
  • Food secure throughout the year.
  • Building savings and resilience so they no longer require assistance from VIP, even during periods of drought, flooding, or famine.

For more, see these blog posts on VIP's website about progress in solar irrigation:

So, while direct beneficiaries will number around 250 people, the impact is transformational, rather than simply transactional. These households have moved from extreme poverty to sustainable livelihoods.

The budget for this solar irrigation project is approximately $250,000. We are seeking sponsors to partner with us on a global Rotary grant for this work! If you are interested or would like to know more, please contact Chris Walquist at rotary@walquist.net.