With KickStart’s irrigation pumps, farmers transform their livelihoods and establish profitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient enterprises. The secret is selling in the off-season – capturing higher profits when supply is low.
Year-round income
With irrigation, farming families earn income year-round – independent of the rains – escape the “hungry season”, invest in other profitable farming businesses (e.g. dairy, poultry, farm-shops, etc.) and pay for education, healthcare, and housing.
Our impact to-date
people out of poverty
successful farming enterprises
people fed with fruits and vegetables
pumps sold
additional farming jobs
$
generated in new profits & wages annually
Livelihoods
Every 8 minutes 1 person is lifted out of poverty as a result of our work and products.
Families, on average, earn $700 in new net income per year from irrigation alone. They then can make other investments, and on average increase their overall farm-based incomes by 400%.
Outsized impacts on extreme poverty
In our Voice of the Farmer Study, over 2,400 of KickStart’s farmers were surveyed over five years to verify the impacts on farm-based earnings from using our pumps. Effects were especially pronounced for households living on under $2 a day.
moved out of poverty
average increase in income after 18 months
average increase in income after 5 years
Impacts on per day income for those starting in extreme poverty
Food security & childhood stunting
Irrigating households serve their immediate food needs and beyond by consuming and selling high value nutritious fruits and vegetables year-round, especially during the dry hungry season.
months out of the year, farmers with a pump consumed their crops, as opposed to 7.5 before owning a pump.
of surveyed farmers reported KickStart’s pump helped them fight hunger.
increase in childhood growth over two years versus households without pumps.
Climate resilience & mitigation
With our pumps, farmers can plant and harvest crops year-round, independent of the rains, replant after floods, and withstand longer dry seasons by using Africa’s wealth of ground and surface water.
ADAPTATION: 94% of surveyed farmers reported KickStart’s pump helped them adapt to climate change
• 40% Irrigated to save their rain-fed crops when rains suddenly stopped before crop maturity
• 18% Invested the new income from irrigation in drought-resistant seeds and/or fertilizer
INCOME DURING DROUGHT: 75% of farm income was attributed to irrigated crops during an intense drought year–offering a lifeline to beneficiary farmers
With irrigation, farmers can grow crops independent of the rain, a clear indication of the importance and opportunity on irrigation in enabling farmers to adapt to climate change.
MITIGATION: Over 100 million new trees planted by farmers using our pumps
With irrigation, farmers inter-crop trees on their plots, while others create successful tree nursery businesses, selling thousands of seedlings per year.
Gender empowerment
Women are often responsible for household water management and vegetable production, known as “kitchen gardens” – comfortably positioning them for irrigation take-up. Robust research shows that with KickStart’ pumps, women gain control over this new income, improve their household and community standing, and, even become less vulnerable to gender-based violence. Their influence on household decisions increases, and they use the income to send all their children, especially their girls, to school.
of women reported feeling empowered from owning and using a pump.
of women saw a major reduction in depression symptoms while owning and using a pump.
Women farmers experienced a 592% average increase in household income from irrigated crops.
What farmers spend new income on
Purchasing Farm Inputs
Livestock
New Products / Assets
School Fees
Hospital / Medical Expenses
Purchasing Food
Hear from our farmer entrepreneurs
James
Kenya
Model Entrepreneur
Meet James
James wasn’t making enough to make ends meet, so he quit his job and rented a small plot of land to farm. He met KickStart’s Field Innovations Team, received an early Starter Pump prototype, and began irrigating. With his farming success, he built a new house, opened a new shop, and sent his kids to top schools.
Impact Highlights
Expanded Enterprise
by employing 6 workers on his farm
Planning for the Future
by saving earnings in a new bank account
Investing in New Assets
including purchasing a piece of land worth $50,000
James
Kenya
Model Entrepreneur
James wasn’t making enough to make ends meet, so he quit his job and rented a small plot of land to farm. He met KickStart’s Field Innovations Team, received an early Starter Pump prototype, and began irrigating. With his farming success, he built a new house, opened a new shop, and sent his kids to top schools.
Impact Highlights
Expanded Enterprise
by employing 6 workers on his farm
Planning for the Future
by saving earnings in a new bank account
Investing in New Assets
including purchasing a piece of land worth $50,000
Monika
Kenya
Woman Entrepreneur
Meet Monika
Monika spent her days lugging buckets of water to her farm to support her family of 19, only earning $4 a day. She knew she needed a change, and once she heard about the MoneyMaker Hip Pump, she knew it was time to take a leap of faith. Monika’s since expanded her farm to 2 acres and is growing cilantro, kale, green onions, and sorghum. At 66, Monika is paving the way for other women in her community to become confident and successful businesswomen.
Impact Highlights
Increased Income
5x from $4 a week to $20 a week
Diversified Crops
With cilantro, green onions, sorghum, and kale
New assets
Raising cows, geese and chickens
Monika
Kenya
Woman Entrepreneur
Monika spent her days lugging buckets of water to her farm to support her family of 19, only earning $4 a day. She knew she needed a change, and once she heard about the MoneyMaker Hip Pump, she knew it was time to take a leap of faith. Monika’s since expanded her farm to 2 acres and is growing cilantro, kale, green onions, and sorghum. At 66, Monika is paving the way for other women in her community to become confident and successful businesswomen.
Impact Highlights
Increased Income
5x from $4 a week to $20 a week
Diversified Crops
With cilantro, green onions, sorghum, and kale
New assets
Raising cows, geese and chickens
Agatha
Tanzania
Climate Resilient
Meet Agatha
Agatha farmed a small vegetable plot to feed and support her family of six, but more frequent dry spells made it impossible to depend on the rain, causing repeated crop losses. She saved up for a MoneyMaker pump and started irrigating, adding high-value crops to her rotation. With access to water, not rain, Agatha changed her odds, expanded her enterprise, and transformed her livelihood.
Impact Highlights
Increased Crop Cycles
From 1 to 3 per year
Expanded Size of Farm
Increasing the area of cultivation 10x
Increased income
By 15X
Agatha
Tanzania
Climate Resilient
Agatha farmed a small vegetable plot to feed and support her family of six, but more frequent dry spells made it impossible to depend on the rain, causing repeated crop losses. She saved up for a MoneyMaker pump and started irrigating, adding high-value crops to her rotation. With access to water, not rain, Agatha changed her odds, expanded her enterprise, and transformed her livelihood.
Impact Highlights
Increased Crop Cycles
From 1 to 3 per year
Expanded Size of Farm
Increasing the area of cultivation 10x
Increased income
By 15X
Mercy
Kenya
Serial Entrepreneur
Meet Mercy
After high school, Mercy wanted to get a job in an office, but she couldn’t find one. To make money, she and her husband started farming, but with infrequent rains, her crops failed. It wasn’t until she received a Starter Pump, that her vegetable enterprise thrived. And as a natural entrepreneur, she’s also renting her pump to her neighbors for $2 a day, empowering them to change the way they’re farming and greatly increase their income.
Impact Highlights
Increased income
By selling high value produce year-round she is able to sell more, invest in high-value produce and chickens
Local Irrigation Advocate
By renting her pump, Mercy is spreading irrigation and its benefits across her village
Planning for the future
Using the Starter Pump enabled all her children to go to school
Mercy
Kenya
Serial Entrepreneur
After high school, Mercy wanted to get a job in an office, but she couldn’t find one. To make money, she and her husband started farming, but with infrequent rains, her crops failed. It wasn’t until she received a Starter Pump, that her vegetable enterprise thrived. And as a natural entrepreneur, she’s also renting her pump to her neighbors for $2 a day, empowering them to change the way they’re farming and greatly increase their income.
Impact Highlights
Increased income
By selling high value produce year-round she is able to sell more, invest in high-value produce and chickens
Local Irrigation Advocate
By renting her pump, Mercy is spreading irrigation and its benefits across her village
Planning for the future
Using the Starter Pump enabled all her children to go to school
Enabling Farmers to irrigate
KickStart tackles the last mile-challenge through our programs that are focused on education, access, and affordability.
Enabling impact at scale
KickStart leverages its high-potential partnerships to bring irrigation to a diverse network of farmers.
Support real, life-changing impact.
By giving to KickStart, your act of generosity multiplies as farmers generate income today and for years to come.