how a water pump is changing the lives of farmers in africa

The world will notice this when your product helps create 150,000 new businesses and increases user revenue by 500%.
But the product is not an app or the latest digital device.
This is a water pump that is changing the lives and business building of developing African economies.
The pump was produced by KickStart, which developed new irrigation technologies and then delivered them to local entrepreneurs in Africa.
By the power of water that will be affordable and sustainable --
Send the crop to small-
Farm owners across Kenya, Tanzania, Mali, bukinah Faso and Zambia.
In Kenya, Jeffrey Mena says KickStart has changed his life and the future of his three children.
With the money earned from the crops he can now irrigate more effectively, he bought his own land, built a house for his family, and hired neighbors to work with him.
\"I have a big plan for my child\'s education,\" Mainatold documentary makersfor KickStart.
\"So that they can get the highest level of education.
\"As a scholar, the founder of Kickstart, a mainlander, came to Africa to bring new irrigation.
The other is a carpenter and a volunteer.
But Martin Fisher and Nick Moon finally fell in love with Kenya.
They met in the country while working on a UK aid program.
They help to set up schools and assist in setting up employment training programs.
Later, they worked together on water solutions in rural areas.
Soon, the two began to work together to solve the water problem in Africa. Most small-
Farmers on that continent depend on rain
Unreliable agricultural water sources.
In 1998, Fisher and moon provided these farmers with an affordable solution: the cash-cow pump.
Like Mina, Hannah is a small farmer in Kenya.
She\'s been using the newHip pump from KickStart. --
A new change in the original money maker ---
More than two years.
She described how the pump changed the way she worked at aKickStart
Make a documentary.
\"Before, I just planted my plants.
\"It\'s too hard for me to carry a bucket,\" she said . \".
\"But now, I just do the pump and the water can go everywhere.
\"By increasing the number of crops she can water, plant and eventually sell, Hip Pump helped Hannah pay for the child\'s schooling.
So far, nearly 235,000 pumps have been sold in African developing countries.
The impact of these pumps on the lives of the people who use them is simply an earthquake.
KickStart\'s flagship product, pump maker pump, provides access to school for about 240,000 children.
It also created about $0. 13 billion in annual profits and wages for users.
These victories are hard won.
The first obstacle is the production of thousands of pumps so that most farmers can take advantage of them.
In 2013, Citi\'s microfinance and commercial banking sector, in partnership with the kolkoll Foundation, provided KickStart with $2 million in liquidity.
Robert Anibel, global director of community development and finance at Citi, said this cash injection is critical to helping organizations like KickStart develop effectively.
\"It\'s a challenge if you don\'t have a job credit --
Cash flow from work-
\"You are doing everything with smaller orders, especially in advanced production,\" he said . \".
Working capital changed the equation, he said.
\"It helps to liberate them and enable them to produce more products and distribute them more widely,\" Anibel said . \".
Next, the KickStart team will provide farmers with caring and convincing information.
The purpose of these meetings is to help crop managers from oneor two-
Three-season agriculture model-or four-season cycle.
It\'s not always an easy thing.
David Estrada, senior development manager at KickStart, said: \"It requires a lot of convincing things . \".
\"These farmers have been dependent on rain.
Agriculture for generations.
Their parents did it, their grandparents did it, their greatness
Grandma and Grandpa did it.
Convince them and educate them about the benefits of irrigation . . . . . . This is one of our biggest challenges.
\"However, once the pumpsarein farmer hands of KickStart, the power of simple design becomes clear.
With his money making tool, Mina made a pair of pedals with his feet to pump water.
The water is pressurized through the hose and flows out of a sprayer used by an assistant to irrigate farm crops.
Once farmers realize the impact of this pump on their income, they rarely need something more convincing.
Equally convincing is the cost calculation for KickStart: The pump can get a person out of poverty forever for only $65.
A family of four can also cost $330.
These are the small price to pay for a better life.
With stories like Mina and Hannah coming up, KickStart is trying to expand and try to make it possible for even the most profitable --
The tied farmer gets his or her own pump.
One option is to work with local microfinance institutions to get loans to help farmers buy their own pumps.
KickStart is also developing a mobile staging app that allows farm owners to make small payments on their phones.
\"Once they have enough money, they will receive a message saying \'Congrats you, you have enough money to buy the pump, \'\" Estrada said \'. \".
\"Then they can pick it up at the local dealer\'s store. \"A rent-to-
The Own system is still in the early stages of testing.
This project allows farmers to use the water pump immediately after paying a small down payment.
Then, as they make more money from their newly watered crop, the farmers pay off the balance.
Despite the considerable success of KickStart, the company\'s influence is still very limited.
In Kenya, for example, Estrada said the company has only about 10% market potential.
\"It\'s basically because the word of mouth is slow,\" he said . \"
It turned out that many farmers who turned to water pumps had received a lot of money from their neighbors.
As a result, pump users tend to be silent about their newly acquired boom.
This factor requires the KickStart team to make additional efforts to reach out to these farmers and show how the pumps can benefit them, Estrada said.
\"We have proven the impact,\" he said . \".
\"We know that this will bring more income and greater food security.
James O\'Brien is a freelance writer whose work involves business, technology and travel.