“Intelligent” Solar Pumps Give Farmers Just as Much Water as They Really Need

Climate change means inconsistent rainfall for Africa’s majority-rainfed agriculture. But new high-tech solar pumps are helping make use of every drop of water to prevent freshwater reservoirs from drying out.

The smart pumps – manufactured by Futurepump, a British social enterprise – maps underground reservoirs across the continent and collects real-time data such as energy usage and pump speed, to help manage water resources more efficiently.

“People often see solar pumps as ‘free energy’ … They feel since it’s not going to cost extra to extract more water, it can be taken,” says David Wiberg from the International Water Management Institute, which uses Futurepump’s data to calculate groundwater extraction rates and levels. “But once you put in place an information system like this, farmers will be able to see that pumping extra amounts of water is not helping them or their neighbours grow extra crops.”

The Futurepump solar pumps are cheaper and more sustainable than diesel and gasoline-powered pumps and are already being used across 15 African countries and by thousands of local farmers.