Our publications
Resources produced during our past projects are accessible here.
For more than 10 years, we have capitalised documents on groundwater development, irrigation, drinking water supply and sanitation. You can find lessons learnt from the field, project reports, technical sheets, (training) manuals, videos, etc.
Check out and share the information you are interested in with the rest of the sector in order to support local enterprises and strengthen their technical and business skills.
Study on the development potential of solar irrigation in the Maradi region – Niger
Study of the Djirataoua I irrigation scheme to assess the relevance and feasibility of implementing solar-powered irrigation. The report highlights both the strong points and points of attention for the implementation of solar irrigation in the Djirataoua I AHA, along with a roadmap of actions to be carried out.
Farmer-led climate smart irrigation – infosheet
The gap between (solar) irrigation technologies and smallholders is reducing in Africa and Asia. However, a lack of know-how and practical skills in technical, commercial, and financial aspects, or misconceptions about the benefits of tailor-made irrigation solutions, becomes an obstacle to the sector’s development. Practica’s approach aims to lead the development of climate-smart and solar-powered irrigation in the most sustainable direction. This brochure explains how.
Practica at a glance
Practica’s organisational profile presenting our main portfolios: Irrigation, Water Supply, Sanitation and Groundwater Development. This one page highlights for each portfolio the main innovations Practica works on. For more information browse our website or contact us at: info@practica.org
Training guide on the financial aspects of solar irrigation systems
This is a practical training guide on the financial related aspects of small-scale solar irrigation. It provides a theoretical base on the most relevant concepts and space to practice these concepts with help of calculations and case studies. It aims to be a practical guide for credit officers, development partners and finance trainers.
Solar Irrigation Training Brochure
This brochure gives an overview of our practical trainings that we developed to give a basic understanding of the technical and financial aspects of solar irrigation systems.
Technical reference solar irrigation solutions
As part of the project GCCA+ financed by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France we implemented a pilot on the “Co-construction of innovative solar irrigation solutions” in the town of Boghé, in Mauritania. Based on the result that we obtained after co-constructing the solutions with the local farmers, we developed these technical reference to be used as an example and guideline when setting up solar irrigation systems.
Characterization of Farmer-Led Irrigation Development (FLID) in Mali
This work forms part of the project “Diagnostic and future directions for Farmer Led Irrigation Development (FLID) in Chad and Mali”, which aims to assess the current extent of farmer-led irrigation in Chad and Mali, and assess the areas that are suitable for further growth. FLID is the process by which farmers drive irrigation development. This report aims to shine a light on the specific irrigation practices and technologies used and opportunities and challenges experienced by individual farmers.
The report aims to inform and contribute to the development of effective supporting mechanisms in the frame of the PARIIS program. The FLID assessment was done through a desk study, interviews with 10 farmers in the cercles of Ségou, Baraouéli, Dioïla and Koulikoro, and interviews with government officials, MFI institutes, farmer associations, equipment suppliers and well drilling companies.
Solar irrigation market analysis Mozambique
This study formulates recommendations for the promotion of solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS) in Mozambique by conducting an analysis of the actual off-grid solar irrigation technologies available and promotion to small scale enterprise level farmers (<2ha) in Mozambique. The analysis includes: (i) Analysis of the current supply of small-scale solar-powered irrigation technologies in Mozambique; (ii) Reveal gaps, challenges and shortcomings for the development of the solar irrigation market (supply and demand sides); (iii) Provision of concrete Inputs and Recommendations in light of the specific GBE requirements on further development of activities and concepts. The results are recommendations of this study have been translated by Energypedia. Click here to read the Portuguese version.
Solar pumping for small scale farmers
PRACTICA’s publication on solar pumping for small-scale irrigation has been selected for the call for innovation launched by COSTEA.
Since the decrease of the cost of solar irrigation panels, solar irrigation solutions are emerging on the African markets. For many farmers, it is the only solution to reach water deeper than 10m. Nevertheless, investments costs remain high at the moment, and without offers from banks and financial institutions, digital financing solutions like PAYGO seem to be the only option to improve access to these solutions.
Mapping irrigated areas and identifying areas suitable for irrigation, in Mali and Chad
This work forms part of the project “Diagnostic and future directions for Farmer Led Irrigation (FLID) in Chad and Mali”, which has the aim to assess the current extent of farmer- led irrigation nation-wide in Chad and Mali, and assess the areas that are suitable for further growth. In both countries, farmer-led irrigation exists, but the extent is not well known. As a first step towards the characterization of FLID, this report focusses on the identification of total irrigated areas (both small-scale and large-scale) for the full territories of Chad and Mali, using remote sensing and machine learning, and identifying areas suitable for small-scale irrigation by using a multi-criteria model. Combining the areas of actual irrigation with suitable areas, we determine regional zones where expansion of irrigation has a high potential.
2019 at a glance (annual report)
In 2019, we invested in R&D throughout our four working themes. We developed some hardware, such as the TokenTap, the mini-pivot, some softwares like the Driller’s toolbox and the SIPS app (Solar Irrigation Pump Selector), and also some new approaches for drinking water infrastructure management, which we plan to further digitalise and develop in 2020. In this annual report you will find a snapshot of our achievements this year, and will get a concrete overview of our projects and innovations.
Solar irrigation market analysis in Ethiopia
This study report discusses the findings of a market assessment on solar irrigation for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. The research focuses on the private smallholder irrigation segment (< 5ha) in the national regional states of Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray. The study shows that the solar irrigation market in Ethiopia is underdeveloped due to limited supply, demand and supportive initiatives. To increase farmers’ demand it is necessary that suppliers start offering integrated solutions including solar pumps, suitable application systems, local services, information and accessible finance. A broad alliance of government institutions and donors is needed to smoothen the supply hurdles, which could lead to increased competition, reduced prices and better services. Specific low-risk finance instruments need to be developed in order to stimulate the solar irrigation market.
Intermediate-depth solar pumping irrigation solutions for smallholders in the Niayes region, Senegal
In 2019, we tested in Senegal several solutions for pumping between 7 and 20 meter depth for smallholder irrigation. We conducted a technical and economical analysis of the different solutions tested. Results presented in this report include the outcome of the tests conducted in the lab, and in the field, on different submersible pumps from Asian brands, and comparison between different types of application systems. Recommendations for scale up of the solutions in West Africa are available at the end of the documents.
Results REGIS-ER Burkina Faso & Niger (2017-2019)
For REGIS-ER project funded by USAID, Practica and CSF have developed and introduced solar pumps for irrigation to the market in Burkina Faso and Niger. The CSF was trained in the manufacture and installation of the pumps, and 62 pumps were installed in the fields of small producers in order to test, evaluate and improve the technologies.
This infographic presents the results of a survey administered to 69 pump users. The results show that the use of small solar pumps reduces operational costs and the drudgery of irrigation compared to manual dewatering. The technologies also reduce the risk of non-repairable breakdowns and the cost of building gardens compared to conventional solar systems.
Market study solar irrigation solutions SISAM
Market study on solar irrigation solutions in the north of Benin and Togo and the south of Burkina Faso. The results highlight the need to bring irrigation technologies and services closer to the farmers in order to increase their adoption. Supply chains of irrigation technologies for smallholders can be optimised by reducing the number of intermediaries in the supply chains of irrigation technologies and by targeting distributors instead of farmers with subsidies. Farmers organisations benefit from a direct access to markets for solar irrigation technologies. They are logically positioned to become local distributors of irrigation technologies.
Annual report 2018
Our annual report for 2018 presents, per theme our activities during this year. We started digitalising tools for groundwater development. We identified and tested in Senegal solutions for farmer-led irrigation that we now aim to scale up in the coming years. In the drinking water supply theme we worked on the concept of “Modular micro-grid” systems to increase both the feasibility and the sustainability of water infrastructures. Finally, we carried several large-scale faeacal sludge management projects in African cities and started the 3F project in Fianarantsoa, which aims to setting up in 3 years a full FSM chain.
Smart Water Solutions for Enhanced Livelihoods & Profitable Agribusiness
The Smart Water for Agriculture project has contributed to the uptake of smart water solutions by 7,500 Kenyan farmers between 2016 and 2019. We played the role of technical assistants, and as part of the consortium, we contributed to 3 publications on: finances and business cases, multi-stakeholder collaboration for farmer-led irrigation development (FLID), and this paper which presents Smart Water Solutions for enhanced livelihood and profitable agribusinesses.
Taking stock of the lessons learnt during the project, this paper discusses the nexus among Smart Water Solutions (SWS), agribusiness, water productivity and livelihoods of irrigating farmers, including women and youth. It
analyses the processes used in promoting SWS, the impacts realized and the lessons learned.
Video – Training on irrigation for SWA project in Kenya 2019
In 2019, in the frame of the SWA project in Kenya, we organised a training for lead farmers on irrigation solutions. The goal was to show them the various irrigation technologies (pumps, application systems) available on the Kenyan market so that in turn they would be able to educate other farmers in their region. As participants explain in the video, the training was participative and practical. Several innovative training tools and materials, including a serious game (Mind your Head), were developed for this training in order to keep the learning process dynamic and improve the knowledge intake from participants.
Guide on solar irrigation solutions
Multiple solar irrigation solutions are available on the market. It is difficult to understand which ones are suitable for you. This guide helps you step-by-step to choose the technologies that will work well for your field. Technical, social, and economical aspects are considered.
This document was developed in 2019 for the SWA project in Kenya, and later translated to French.
Annual report 2017
Learn about our activities and financial figures for 2017 and get a preview of our ambitions for 2018. Across our four main themes (groundwater development, farmer-led irrigation, rural water supply, and faecal sludge management) we came up with new ideas of technologies that could be scaled up in the field tomorrow, such as the mini-pivot, and the modular piped system. We also worked on an innovative solar light device for refugees shelter and piloted it in Senegal. We also pursued our efforts to build the capacity of the local businesses. The example of Impact in Madagascar is described in this report.