"Before IDE, we couldn't grow enough food to feed our family, let alone sell," says Robert Mwanza, who lives with his wife Avarim and their eight children on small farm about 30 km north of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.

The population density in Zambia is very low (about 13 people per square kilometre) so land is not in short supply. There is also plenty of water in the ground beneath their feet. What they lacked was a labor-efficient means of getting the water to the land to grow crops. Using just buckets, a hand-dug well, and a lot of back-breaking work, they were only able to grow a tiny 20 m x 40 m dry-season vegetable garden.

When the Mwanzas saw the treadle pump that IDE had begun promoting in their area, they immediately saw its potential. They purchased their first pump five years ago and a second treadle pump (this one a pressurized version) three years ago. They are now able to irrigate a full hectare of dry-season crops including kale, sun hemp, cassava, banana, and cabbage. They also intersperse some fennel among the other plants to help control insects.

IDE helped the Mwanzas and other farmers in their area to negotiate a contract to supply vegetables to Agriflora, a company that exports high-value vegetables to Europe. Agriflora provides inputs such as seed, fertilizer, and pest control services, which the Mwanzas pay back at the time of harvest.

Last year, they planted about 350 coffee plants, which will begin yielding in three years. Previously, the Mwanza family had always lived hand-to-mouth; they now have the opportunity to be planning three years into the future. "By that time," says Robert, "I'll be able to afford a diesel pump. Then I'll increase my growing area again and grow an even larger variety of crops."

CONTACT

IDE
10403 West Colfax, Suite 500
Lakewood, CO  80215