Zainer

A simple machine to support climate resilient agriculture

Prolonged dry spells during the rainy season pose serious risk to food security for farmers in Africa. Conservation and regenerative agriculture can mitigate this risk, but farmers consider it as too labor-intensive. PRACTICA therefore initiated the development of a simple tool to quickly and cheaply produce small basins or pits to improve soil moisture retention as well as soil regeneration. We call this tool the Zainer, as a reference to the traditional West African practice of producing small potholes, called Zaï.

Technical design

General characteristics

The Zainer is a vertical drill, mounted on a two wheeled cart and operated by a small 3hp engine. The drill bit can easily be replaced and adapted to different soil conditions and desired hole dimensions. A provision can be added to set different line and hole spacings as required.

Accessibility to women

This tool is accessible to women. Not too heavy to handle, it also saves time for other daily tasks.

Configurations

The present design is a complete machine including the engine. However, other configurations, such as the following options could be explored:

Redesigning it a toolbar to be fitted, for instance, a two-wheel tractor. In that case, more power would be available and it may be possible to drill 2, 3 or even 4 holes at the same time.
Redesigning it as a machine which operates on a solar engine.

Further field testing is required to validate these assumptions.

Speed of operation

With a single drill and no extreme hardness of the soil, a speed of 20 holes per minute is possible. With a density of 1.6 holes/m2 (Zambia) to 3 holes/m2 (Burkina Faso), it takes between 13 to 25 hours to cover 1Ha. As a comparison, making Zaï holes manually in Burkina Faso takes about 300 hours/Ha.

Soil deposition

The special shroud around the drill serves two purposes: 1) it protects against stones flying away, and 2) it can deposit the soil either on one side or another. With the latter, the shroud ensures that the soil is deposited downstream of the pit on a plot with a slope. This way, when it rains, the contour created around the lower part of the pit will guide the water into the soil, towards the plant. Fertilizer can also be applied to stimulate crop growth.

Business case

Local production & capacity building

When engines and V-belt transmission parts can be sourced locally, there is no need to import these components. Otherwise, PRACTICA can provide technical assistance to establish procurement channels, support local design processes and/or train enterprises interested to manufacture the machine. We can also facilitate capacity building of other stakeholders, such as government institutes, maintenance technicians and end-users, and provide advisory services in sustainable land and water management practices.

Economics

It is estimated that the Zainer, when produced locally, will cost about USD 1200. The fuel consumption will depend on the hardness of the soil and vary between 0.25 to 0.75l/hr.
The maintenance cost are estimated at 0.25 USD/h. This excludes the costs for a possible service provider / operator.

Ownership & management

In case of smallholding farming, the ownership of the Zainer by a service provider or farmer cooperative is deemed the most logical option. In its present design form (a very simple and robust configuration), it may be feasible for farmers to rent the machine and operate it themselves. In case a more sophisticated design is selected, it may be better the machine is managed by an operator.

What is PRACTICA Foundation?

PRACTICA is a non-profit organization. We work in over 10 countries to support our partners like NGO's, governments, local entrepreneurs and farmer organisations with technical know-how on small scale technologies in the field of water, agriculture and sanitation.
We are not an implementing organization, but guide and train partners in the use, uptake and knowledge of various technologies. Research and development is a core part of our work at our head office in the Netherlands where we develop & test new products that could improve the lives of the poor. As an example, we have developed one of the first solar pumps on the African market, which is now being marketed by one of our partners Futurepump.

Manual Zaï practice in Burkina Faso

Millet growing in a Zaï pit

Field test in Europe

A field in Burkina prepared with Zaï

Development stage - October 2021

PRACTICA has consulted experts in the sector and executed field surveys in Burkina Faso, Mauretania and Zambia to understand the potential interest and willingness-to-pay among farmers. In Burkina Faso, on a location where the hardness of the soil is extreme, a second iteration technical prototype is being tested. This will yield valuable information to feed back into the design process. The requirements in other countries may be different and the design can be adapted to suit those needs.