Diesel Engine and Treadle Pump Training
Recently we completed some training on diesel engine and treadle pumps with two villages. It is now the dry season and people have to carry water in buckets from the river which is ever time consuming and dangerous due to the local wildlife. It was a productive day! Everyone was so excited and there was much happiness as we left the villages.
The treadle pump is a manually-operated irrigation system that has been used throughout Africa for over 10 years in more than twenty countries. The treadle pump is a two-cylinder, foot-operated machine which is an efficient and ergonomic design. The benefits of the treadle pump is that there is increase farm yield, irrigates crops easier and quicker, useful for households and for watering animals, and it is strong and portable. Some people do have small gardens and are presently carrying buckets of water from the River to water the gardens; of course this is ‘labor intensive’.
We have assisted some people with water storage tanks. Now the families use the treadle pump to push water into the tank from the river. When the tank is full then the people put chlorine in the water to purify it for drinking. The women now are using water from the storage tank to wash their clothes. This reduces the possibility of crocodiles attacking the women and children. In this particular area the use of the treadle pump can really transform the community.
We have helped one of the local farmers build a small rural store. This farmer came asking if it was possible to help him have a treadle pump in order for him to grow and sell vegetables. Because he has been successful in managing and selling fresh vegetables from his garden using the treadle pump he was able to set up a rural shop. This rural shop helps the community as they cannot get into the town of Livingstone to buy goods very often.