Regular irrigation pumps require a lot of maintenance, a regular supply of fuel (either human energy or fossil fuel) and someone to watch over them as they operate, our solar irrigation pump uses the sun’s free energy to supply water to crops.

Futurepump manufactures and supplies solar-powered water pumps for rural, off-grid farmers. Originally from India, they operate in several countries across continents. The background of the solution is from an idea in of steam pump that was developed in the Netherlands to use solar energy to pump water. When solar power (solar pv) prices came down, the pumps were altered to use direct solar power over steam to operate the pump. Futurepump’s solar irrigation pump uses the sun’s free energy to supply water to crops. They are farm-fixable, come with an industry-leading 10-year warranty, and every pump is supplied with the necessary tools and spare parts for on-site diagnostics and straight-forward DIY repair by the customer.

Their main customers are small holder farmers in Africa and India who can access mechanised and more efficient irrigation and, in that way, better yield by the Futurepump. Alternative irrigation methods would be manual irrigation or petrol/diesel operated pumps that are more expensive. They also provide digital support service to customers through social media, emails, repair videos online and support tickets in multiple languages, as well as free in person support through our trained distributor network across the world. The company makes data that is collected publicly available, engages in knowledge exchange through peer networks, and promotes behavioural change by consumers.

This case study has been created as part of Footprints Africa's work to build a comprehensive open-source database of circular economy initiatives in Africa. We are doing this in collaboration with the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN), as part of our programme to support the circular economy transition in Africa.

Image retrieved from https://futurepump.com/