SunCulture Drip Irrigation Kit

Target SDGs

Market Suggested Retail Price

$856.49

Market Suggested Retail Price (Secondary Currency)

89000.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Community, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

SunCulture

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include SunCulture SP-300 Solar Pumping System, Netakit, and Proximity Designs Drip Irrigation System.

Regions

East Africa

Countries

Tanzania, Zambia

Manufacturing/Building Method

The product is mass manufactured in the US.

Intellectural Property Type

Trade Secret

User Provision Model

Users can obtain this product directly from SunCulture. SunCulture offers a free quote to farmers who submit their information online, and also have a technician available to visit customer sites that require consultation for a customized system. SunCulture partners with Equity Bank to provide financing options to farmers who cannot afford to pay for the system upfront.

Distributions to Date Status

SunCulture has over 650 customers in East Africa.Interview with representative

Design Specifications

The Product combines a solar pumping technology (solar panels providing pump's electricity directly without need for batteries) with an efficient drip irrigation system. This system includes long lasting drip-tape, a filtration system, fertilizer injection system, HDPE and PVC pipes, and all needed connectors, fittings, and valves. The pump pulls water from different sources (lake, river, stream, well, boreal, water harvester, etc) to a raised storage tank during the day. In the evening a valve is opened and water flows with gravity to irrigate the farm.

Technical Support

SunCulture provides training and after-sales support upon request.

Replacement Components

An entire after sales process is dedicated to supporting customers with needed replacement parts, as well as system repairs if necessary.^{Interview with representative}

Lifecycle

The solar modules comes with a 20 year warranty

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

SunCulture estimates farmers can make up to 4x the revenue with irrigated agriculture compared to traditional agriculture, and 2x the revenue of rain-fed agriculture. See below.

Vetted Performance Status

Unknown

Safety

No known safety hazards are related to this product.

Complementary Technical Systems

This product was available as an add-on for SunCulture's AgroSolar irrigation system. Another pumping system such as the SP-300 Solar Pumping System can also be used.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

Unknown

Other Information

• SunCulture has won multiple awards for their systems and work, including:
  • FT/IF  Transformational Business Award 2018
  • , Finalist in 2017 of Ashden International Award
  • Finalist in 2017 of Start Up Energy Transition Award: Category; “Start Up SDG7”
  • Finalist in 2016 of Ocean Exchange, The Solutions Awards,
  • Winner in 2015 of Sustainia Award, Food Innovation Category,
  • Winner in 2015 of "Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development"
• SunCulture - Scaling the Distribution of Tailored Agro-Solar Irrigation Kits to Smallholder Farmers
• Price for kits differ depending on size of farm. It ranges from 249 USD (KES 24, 900) to 890 USD (KES 89,000) for 1/8 to 1 full acre. Prices converted to USD 06/03/2019
• SunCulture's AgroSolar irrigation system
• Design Specifications and product solar modules
• Product mass production in US
• For schematic diagram, see the AgroSolar Irrigation System