The Last move Malawi has to play

The fact that the climate is changing is nothing we can deny.  Here in Malawi the evidence is everywhere, scarce rainfall, and prolonged droughts. Months without rainfall and prolonged scotching sun are beginning to be the song of each and every day.

Malawi being reliant on agriculture for survival is digging its own grave if it continues relying on rain fed agriculture. The truth is we are not producing enough food as expected. Of course there is only one move that Malawi has to make; Irrigation, not just any other but solar powered irrigation.

Solar powered irrigation as the name suggests uses solar energy, which is the energy and power from the sun. The technical explanation is simple; all you need are solar panel mirrors to power the water pump, and batteries for storing power. These mirrors will absorb, and trap energy from the sun and convert it into electrical energy. The electrical energy will first be stored in the batteries then used to power water pump. The process may sound too technical and scary but rest assured it happens automatically without anybody doing or controlling it.

The good thing about the system is that it is extremely cheap after installation. There are no extra costs on fuel as it is the case with Diesel and Petro powered irrigation systems. Of course I agree that the initial purchase of the equipment can be a burden, but think of no costs once the installation is done. Those systems that use fuel energy may seem cheaper at first but as time goes the costs accumulates and reach a point of exceeding solar irrigation. I believe a good move is to go with the solar powered irrigation other than fuel powered irrigation systems especially here in Malawi.

The other point to put in mind is the issue of the environment. Everyday either be it on Radio, Television, Newspapers, and of course some Blogs like the one you are reading now you could hear stories about protecting our mother nature. Coming back to our main topic “solar irrigation” is environmental friendly and clean as it uses sustainable energy. There are no harmful fumes or gases released from the use of solar irrigation system as it is the case with other systems. We all say the environment is in our hands, why continue using systems that will contribute to the downfall of our own environment? Think of the generations that are coming ahead, what kind of environment would they find because of our deeds today?

Scarcity of energy to power our irrigation systems is also a point worth mentioning about. Let me take you a little back in time to the energy crisis in Malawi in year 2011. You could see endless queues at Gasoline filling stations; people were spending days and nights just to fill their hungry fuel car tanks. Think of those farmers who solemnly relied on Gasoline irrigation systems, where were they getting the fuel to power their water pumps? Think also of the cost of acquiring that fuel due to its scarcity. The only sound decision would be to switch to solar energy irrigation; in Malawi you cannot go a day or some days without sunlight. The sun shines each and every day be it in summer or winter there by energy available around the year. Of course some months in winter the sun shine is not that intense as the case in summer, but remember the system has backup power storage batteries. The power in the batteries can be used to supply constant energy throughout the winter.