Just two years ago, Ratha Majhi was at his wits’ end trying to eke out a decent living from his modest vegetable farm. "It did not matter how long I spent at the farm," he recalls. "Even after borrowing 54,000 rupees (1,200 dollars), my trying days seemed never-ending." But since then he says his life has changed, adding with pride, "The farm is now my own patch of green paradise."
It’s all thanks to a simple and cheap micro-irrigation tool. Indeed, since 1994, the treadle pump has been changing the lives of millions of farmers in this country, where some 60 percent of the population are estimated to be directly involved in farming.
Since 2009, Voxtra has supported the leading Indian social enterprise, International Development Enterprises India (IDEI) to distribute manual irrigation pumps to small farmers in the state of Assam in Northeastern India.
Background on treadle pumps
Treadle Pumps are driven by human energy with a combination of lifting and pumping device.
– Used in regions with high water table
– Reliable, low maintenance
– Replacing diesel pumps, thereby saving fuel & reducing carbon emission; each pump offsets 0.477 tonne of
CO2 emissions per year
– 3,500-4,000 litre/ hour discharge depending on body weight.
– Irrigates up to 1 acre of vegetable farm
Water scarcity has become one of the most pressing problems for agriculture in many developing countries. Rural small farmers are disproportionally affected by the consequences. As they practice rain-fed agriculture, they depend on erratic rainfalls during rainy season and suffer from food insecurity during long dry periods.
This issue highlights how eight IFAD-supported projects are helping to reduce rural poverty by enabling small producers to adopt commercial enterprises.
Millions of small holder farmers are limited to one crop a year, because they have to rely on rainfall. However, if the land is irrigated, more crops can be grown, providing food and income, but most pumps are too costly.
The impact of Krishik Bandhu (KB) drip irrigation has been reported on productivities, incomes and benefit-cost ratios of sugarcane, banana, chilli and cotton in 51 villages of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh states
The socio-economic and technical evaluation and assessment of the TP (treadle pump) was carried out in three different agro-climatic zones (in the districts of Balangir, Orissa; Cooch Bihar, West Bengal; and Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh).
Assessment was conducted for socio-economic analysis of low cost drip irrigation KB (Krishak Bandhu) drip, also called AMITs (affordable micro-irrigation technologies) in 51 villages across three states in India.
As part of the final evaluation of the India Micro-Irrigation Program, IDE India conducted a household survey to measure improvements in production and income among users of the technology. As summarized in this report, the survey found significant improvements in a range of production and income variables, comparing users and non-users of IDEI-marketed treadle pumps and drip irrigation systems.
This rapid assessment was conducted in June 2007 with the objective of assessing the impact of IDEI’s treadle pump programme on children in three districts of Uttar Pradesh (Bahraich, Gonda and Hardoi). In total, 30 households were surveyed in seven villages.
A customer Satisfaction Survey of Treadle Pump and Drip System user was undertaken during 3rd October – 3 rd November 2010. The survey was administered by Equity Foundation an NGO based in Bihar and the survey instrument was developed by the International Development Enterprise India (IDEI).
With public sector funding stalled in many developing countries, much is expected from local private investment for generating the finances required to develop essential services, such as water supply and irrigation.
By the end of 2005, internal assessments have led IDEI to believe that it has moved considerably forward in implementing IPMAS. IPMAS has completed 2 years in the pilot phase and has faced numerous challenges, many of them successfully tackled while some
still need to be looked at.
International Development Enterprises (India) IDEI has been at the forefront of revolutionising small farmer livelihoods through market-based interventions in irrigation technology.
The objective of the study was to asses if
1. Treadle Pump as a technology, brings a change in agriculture, by way of providing irrigation input
2. Increased income due to sale of agri-produces has multifarious use for the well being of the children, particularly with respect to health, education, clothing and other facilities.
The present study was conducted during November 2010 in two districts of Bihar (Bhojpur and West Champaran). In total, 100 respondents were surveyed in four Community Development Blocks, with the objective of assessing the impact of IDEI’s treadle pump
program on children.
The objective of the study was to asses if
1. Treadle Pump as a technology, brings a change in agriculture, by way of providing irrigation input
2. Increased income due to sale of agri-produces has multifarious use for well being of the children, particularly with respect to health, education, clothing and other facilities.
The objective of the project was to assess the socio-economic and technical evaluation of the Treadle Pump (TP). The study also assessed the Green House Gases (GHG) mitigation potential.
The objective of the study was to conduct a socio-economic-technical analysis of low cost drip irrigation namely KB Drip and to assess the CO 2 emissions reduction potential.
Gender is largely about perceptions, orientations and values. Often these are deeply embedded in the subconscious of the human mind.
Since 2009, Voxtra has supported the leading Indian social enterprise, International Development Enterprises India (IDEI) to distribute manual irrigation pumps to small farmers in the state of Assam in Northeastern India.