Spowdi's zero-emission irrigation system resonates with smallholder farmers: Swedish Business-Economic Times

2021-12-06 15:59:56 By : Mr. YFA Company

The success of Spowdi and the acceptance of the agricultural community lies in their basic goal of contributing to zero-carbon climate action, improving irrigation efficiency, and achieving better livelihoods through increased and diversified production.

Since the establishment of Spowdi in India, its main mission has been to create clean and sustainable solutions to enable small farmers to build more flexible food production systems. Industry experts, including Commercial Sweden, believe that Spowdi’s solar micro-irrigation system can solve the most pressing challenges faced by small farmers in India. In a report supported by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Swedish Energy Agency, evaluations show that compared with diesel irrigation pumps, the use of Spowdi irrigation systems can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions; each pump can reduce up to 700 kg of carbon emissions.

Four years ago, the Swedish green technology startup Spowdi was selected to participate in the India-Swedish Innovation Accelerator Program. Spowdi has developed the first mobile solar water supply system in history, which can help solve the most significant challenges faced by small farmers; ensure water safety with the least energy and cost. "We think there are many benefits to bringing Spowdi's innovation to India," said Pawan Tahlani, Head of Sustainable Development (India), Swedish Business Corporation.

"When we heard about Spowdi's solar mobile irrigation pump, we knew that this innovation was very suitable for supporting smallholder farmers in India," he added.

There are approximately 125 million small farming families in India who own an acre or less of land. These farmers are the backbone of Indian agriculture. Their farms mainly rely on rainwater irrigation, groundwater-intensive and artificial irrigation. During the non-monsoon months, farmers must rely on limited electricity for irrigation and mainly rely on diesel-powered pumps. Due to unstable electricity supply and rising diesel prices, farmers often flood their fields at once, resulting in a lot of waste of water resources. Experts say that these practices have led to inefficient use of groundwater and exacerbated India's water crisis. In addition, people are deeply concerned about the carbon emissions released by fossil fuels and their impact on the health and well-being of local agricultural communities.

Seeing is believing: Spowdi's smart agriculture concept increases the yield of existing cultivated land with less water and clean energy

After months of extensive testing of Spowdi's technology under extreme weather conditions across India in 2019, Spowdi created the "Spowdi Smart Agriculture" concept.

As a proof of concept, Spowdi built their first smart agricultural R&D facility in the outskirts of Bangalore with Jain Irrigation Facility. The one-acre demonstration farm uses drip irrigation powered by Spowdi's Mobile Pro system. The irrigation system is completely powered by solar energy and does not require diesel, thereby achieving zero carbon emissions and reducing costs. Most importantly, the demonstration farm is a living example showing how smallholder farmers can increase and diversify their existing cultivated land and reduce a lot of water use. Compared with floods in similar-sized farms, the sun is the only source of energy. . Reduced irrigation costs can help save money and increase profits, thereby helping to improve the quality of life of millions of small farmers.

Spowdi Smart Farming's R&D facility grows various fruits, vegetables and herbs. The farm regularly invites government authorities, universities, researchers, industry partners, farmers and local farmer associations to discuss solutions to increase crop yields using renewable energy and low water consumption. The facility is also used to conduct on-site training for Spowdi distributors and Spowdi Mobile Pro's field agents, and to help interested candidates become ambassadors for zero-emission agriculture.

In addition, Spowdi's Mobile Pro system is compact and easy to carry, almost like a briefcase, durable, easy to install and operate. The solar installation generates 150 watts of electricity, enough to charge and drip an acre of land.

By the end of 2019, Spowdi had also established a cooperative relationship with the Regional Agricultural Industrial Development Cooperative of Kerala Ltd (Raidco Limited). Farmer-centered cooperatives are keen to explore solar water supply in the Kannur area. The Spowdi Mobile Pro system was installed on part of an eight-acre piece of land in Chittariparambu Vattoli. The water source is an open well, and the plantation includes 500 coconut trees and other plantations, including jackfruit, bananas, mangoes, yams and cashews.

"In this picture, we installed a demonstration drip irrigation line covering at least 100 different trees using an online drip irrigation device as a reference for testing Spowdi pump output and understanding the limits. We are satisfied with the performance of the system during the test. It runs efficiently with very little power and meets water supply requirements,” said Valsan Panoli, Chairman of Raidco. The farm previously relied on diesel pump sets and electric pump sets to irrigate the farm. “By using the Spowdi system, we think this is a more effective way to irrigate crops,” he added.

Commitment to "Made in India" and smallholder communities

In addition to climate intelligence and easy-to-use irrigation technology, Spowdi’s success and acceptance in agricultural communities lies in their basic goal of contributing to climate action, a cleaner environment, and better livelihoods.

"Spowdi has always been very willing to test their solutions under the most demanding farm conditions in India. Their "seeing is believing" approach allows them to benefit from gaining traction and trust from many stakeholders, from industrial and corporate social responsibility to Distributors and farmers themselves," said Pawan Tahlani of Swedish Business.

The purpose of various projects and tests is to build a knowledge base and obtain technical references on how the Spowdi system can improve the quality of life of people in remote villages and use micro-grids for efficient water distribution.

The Indian government's promotion of solar energy is another driving force to expand Spowdi's innovation in India. In recent years, India has been actively promoting solar energy as an alternative energy source through its attractive policies to encourage solar energy solutions. India has set a goal of achieving 175 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2022, and plans to use renewable energy to achieve 50% of its energy needs by 2030. Recently at COP 26, India announced its goal of increasing non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030. Spowdi believes it has a role to play in becoming part of India's energy transition.

As part of its "Made in India" commitment, Spowdi and Emmvee Spowdi Private Limited established a joint venture with an assembly plant on the outskirts of Bangalore. Henrik Johansson, founder and CEO of Spowdi AB, said: "We are very pleased to contribute to India's vision of achieving net zero and are now expanding our products in the Indian market."

Interview questions with Spowdi AB founder and CEO Henrik Johansson can be sent to:

Rupali mehra rupali.mehra@spowdi.com

Jyotish Jacob Thelappilly JyothishJacob.Thelappilly@business-sweden.se

Disclaimer: Content produced by Spowdi AB

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