A simple-to-use water pump called the flexipump is just the right tool and valuable asset for smallholder farmers to up their farming production and enter profitable farming.
The flexipump takes the stain out of carrying water in buckets over long distances, is lightweight, needs no electricity or additional training and is very simple to use, for both male and female farmers. According to the designer and trained mechanical engineer, David Hutton, the pump is custom made for smallholder farmers in rural areas and is based on the same principle as a bicycle pump.
“If you are still irrigating by bucket, the flexipump can save you a lot of time and effort. It will enable you to grow a larger amount of crops over a larger area so you have more to eat and more to sell,” David explains.
HOW THE PUMP WORKS
The pump is able to extract water from a well or other underground water source that is 6m below the surface or below the level of the flexipump, and only needs a cup of water to prime the pump. Water can be pumped to a height of 10m above the pump or over a distance of 100m along flat ground.
This means you can use the flexipump to fill up a storage tank to use water for drip irrigation. The flexipump has the capacity to pump up to 1,600 litres per hour.
The pump essentially consists of three parts:
- A suction hose that is either submerged/emerged in a water source like a river or a dam, that is connected to the pump’s inlet.
- The pump itself is based on the same principle as that of a bicycle pump.
- A delivery hose connected to the outlet part of the pump from where you can direct the water flow to either your crops, animals or storage tank.
This pump can be used to water small vegetable gardens, crop fields as large as a quarter of an acre or 1011m2 , a piece of land that is about 50m x 20m (with only 2-3 hours of pumping per day). The pump can also be used fill water troughs for livestock.
MAINTENANCE
David kept the design of the flexipump simple to ensure every farmer can maintain the pump themselves and even make their own spare parts by using old bicycle inner tubes or pieces of leather.
Most of the pump can be taken apart by hand and the only lubricant needed is petroleum jelly (Vaseline).
If you are interested to distribute the pump in your region, you can contact the company for more details.
WHERE CAN YOU BUY ONE?
Below is a list of flexipump distributors and prices in various countries. If you are interested in buying one, you can call or send a Whatsapp message to the appropriate number for your area.
Malawi – Justin +256 135 7804
Price – K65 000
Uganda – Alvin +256 703 119 742
Price – $86 and $16 for 6m of suction hose.
Zimbabwe – Tawanda on +263 7757 66695
Price – $99(cash) or $102 (swipe) and includes 7m of suction hose.
Zambia – Agrivet +260 966 516161
Price – K720
Zambia – Zam Procure +260 963 338 908
Price – K1140 including 6m of suction hose and 25m of discharge hose.
Ghana – Godsway on +233 501 334 264
Price – $130 including 6m of suction hose and 25m of discharge hose.
South Africa +27 60 399 6420
Price – R1000 and this includes free delivery in South Africa.
– 6m of suction hose for R200
– 25m of delivery hose for R250.
For more information you can also send a mail to info@flexipump.com or visit their webpage – https://www.flexipump.co.za/.
To see the pump in action, watch the video below:
