The Treadle Pump
The treadle pump, resembling a stairmaster attached to two hoses, is powered by someone stepping up and down on two treadles, which draws water from rivers and wells through one hose, pressurizing it, then delivering it out the second hose onto fields at a rate of one liter per second. By using the treadle pump, farmers are able to increase their yields, particularly in the dry season, by delivering water to fields of up to 1 hectare.
Why is the treadle pump an appropriate technology in rural Ghana and Zambia?
- Since alternative irrigation methods generally involve a rope and bucket, the treadle pump increases the effectiveness and ease of irrigation, while reducing the necessary labour.
- Most vegetable production is traditionally rain-fed, resulting in large quantities of produce being marketed at the same time of year, driving prices downward. The relative scarcity of marketable vegetables during the dry season and prolonged droughts results in high priced goods. Those farmers able to produce vegetables during the dry season through irrigation are capable of earning considerable cash income from relatively small, irrigated plots of land.
- The treadle pump is affordable to farmers immediately following the rainy season's harvest, costing approximately US$100. On average, farmers are able to recover that cost within the first year of using the pump.
- The pump is operated by people rather than electricity or fuel which keeps costs associated with the technology low.
- It is made from locally available parts and can easily be maintained.
Success Story:
In Zambia, the treadle pump has proved exceptionally successful for small-scale farmers. By irrigating their fields with the pump as opposed to a bucket, farmers are more efficient, able to have a second growing season during the months where little to no rain falls, able to increase their plot size, and less vulnerable to droughts. The community as a whole also benefits from the increased food supply. On average, farmers in Zambia using the treadle pump have increased their annual income by 600%.
