Sirubari Farmers - Kristin Lau

In Nepal, 63% of the population lack access to reliable electricity. Solar integration for agricultural purposes has recently been implemented throughout various parts of rural Nepal to aid in irrigation and agricultural needs all year round.

Farmer Dilli Ram Regmi, 65 years old, lives in Jharlyangdi in Walling, ward number seven in Syangja, Nepal. He’s been a farmer since the age of 16 working in agriculture with his family. There are 12 members in his family and they depend on agriculture to make a living.

Dilli Ram Regmi quickly realized the lack of water in his community and shared his concern with the Syangja Agricultural Committee. With the help of renewable energy charitable organizations, iDE Nepal and Renewable World, a Solar water MUS (Multiple Use System) was implemented in December 2012 and completed within two months. The Solar MUS has proven beneficial to the 32 households that use the 16 distribution taps for drinking water. Every household has a water tap and is no longer forced to fetch and carry water over long distances.

Renewable World and iDE Nepal, describes a multiple use solar water system (MUS) as an improved approach to water resource management, which taps and stores water and distributes it to farm households in small communities to meet both domestic and agricultural needs. The Solar MUS system provides the farmers in Syangja with a 15,000 Litre storage tank. With little financing, the farmers were unable to afford a second tank to store the extra water for irrigation purposes and vegetable farming and are concerned with having water overflowing from the reservoir. During the dry season, there is a scarcity of water and with a second storage tank, the farmers would have the opportunity to irrigate at least an area of 520 sq. meters of land. The land in Sirubari is ideal for vegetable farming, but currently there is only enough water for drinking and livestock. Traditionally, the land was able to grow millet, corn, rice, and vegetables including tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage and radish.

Nepal continues to rebuild with reliable energy services that are clean, efficient, and affordable, that is fundamental to a modern quality of life for its citizens and the country's global prosperity.

For more details on Renewable World's Solar MUS, visit: renewable-world.org/solar-mus-multi-use-system/