Innovating and Sharing Lessons Learned

SWFF Program & Innovator News

April 24, 2017

Getting Water Up the Mountainside: Barsha Pump Utilizes Nepal's Rivers to Power Irrigation

In the Himalayan mountains, where elevated fields make it difficult to get water to crops, irrigation can be a challenge. Low-income farmers have access to few affordable pumping technologies, which come with high maintenance costs. Diesel pumps are expensive to maintain and can pollute the surrounding environment. Solar pumps, on the other hand, provide clean energy, but require constant repairs from skilled technicians.

Farmers needed a simple, cost-effective solution, and aQysta ------ makers of the Barsha pump ------ found it in the untapped power of Nepal's 6,000 rivers.

SWFF Rd. 4 award nominee Trupti Jain, founder of Naireeta Services, won this year's prestigious Cartier Women's Initiative Award for providing women working on farms with water management solutions that protect against droughts and flash floods.
SWFF innovator Natasha Wright of MIT won the $15,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for a solar-powered desalination system for off-grid water production in India and Gaza, and a usage sensor for household water treatment devices. Wright, a grad student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering who also works with the MIT Tata Center, invented a solar-powered desalination system for off-grid water production in communities in India and Gaza that reduces the required amount of energy and the amount of wasted water.
Deutsche Welle featured aQysta and their Barsha pump in a new video showing it is changing the lives of Nepalese farmers.

SWFF Innovators Share Lessons Learned, Successes, and Failures in "Unconference." At the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa, innovators discussed lessons learned and advised fellow innovators on approaches to entrepreneurial processes.
SWFF Innovators Dominate the 2017 Global Agripreneur of the Year Battle. Eight finalists, including SWFF innovators aQysta, Green Heat, Si Technology, and Reel Gardening, went head-to-head in this pitch competition .
SWFF Participates in "Matchmaking Zone" at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. On day two of the Global Agriprenuers Summit at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, innovators had a unique opportunity to meet with investors.
Dave Ferguson Reflects on SWFF Delegation's South Africa Visit - Recently in Johannesburg, South Africa, the SWFF delegation took part in the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, Global Agripreneurs Summit (event report), and SWFF annual meeting of innovators, hosted by the South Africa Department of Science and Technology. During the gathering, the SWFF team coordinated the announcement of their Round 4 award nominees. Dave Ferguson, Director of the Center for Development Innovation, U.S. Global Development Lab, USAID reflects on his experience.

The Global Cleantech Innovation Programme in South Africa recently opened its call for applications, with April 26, 2017 as the closing date. The initiative aims to spur local innovation in energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency, waste beneficiation, green building and green transportation.
The SOCAP Social Entrepreneur Scholarship Program is now accepting applicants for a scholarship to attend SOCAP17 in San Francisco, California. The scholarship includes accommodations, a full conference pass and dedicated mentorship from impact leaders, among other benefits. International applicants' deadline is June 1, 2017. For all other applicants, the deadline is June 30, 2017.
The Government of Australia and other partners, including the World Bank, are launching the Water Data Challenge. The challenge seeks breakthroughs that will enable low-income farmers make use of affordable, timely water data, resulting in better water management to support resilient, productive farms. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Grants - $10,000. Winners announced July, 2017. First round winners eligible for early-stage awards up to US $250,000 and ready-to-scale awards up to US $1million.

Practical Action is working with community leaders and entrepreneurs like this man, who is running his own business growing and selling squash.

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