Pumping Water in Senegal: Farmer multiplies production levels with irrigation, better planting techniques

A clear vision, a bit of help, a little luck, a few tips, a lot of water, and a lot of hard work. That’s Moussa Sagna’s recipe for success as a market gardener. His grand plans are already taking root.

Sagna speaks softly, but quickly and with intensity. A true man of the soil, he tills his plot in Djifanghor, a village of about 2,000 people near the southern Senegalese town of Ziguinchor. He is serious about his work. Produce from his land helps feed his two wives and seven children, age one to 12, the oldest ones now in school.

His motto: “If you work in large quantity, you eat, you buy, and you save.”

But only three years ago he was still a small-time farmer, making do on a 150-square-meter plot as part of a new farm shared by 66 others. Today, he has nearly tripled the size of his land, to 400 square meters, by being able to take over some family land outside the farmers’ group (groupement) area.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its implementing partner, EnterpriseWorks (EW), have done much to assist Sagna and his fellow farmers in Senegal’s lush Casamance region by helping install a pedal pump to increase irrigation and by giving clear technical guidance on how he can increase his yields of tomatoes, hibiscus, okra, egg plant, hot pepper, and onions.

“We used to only have small harvests,” says village chief Idrissa Sagna, who is also president of the group of farmers. “With the pump, we have a much larger yield. It has almost tripled.” EW markets two different kinds of pumps that can be manufactured with locally-available materials. A pedal pump manufactured in Ziguinchor costs $90, while the cheapest motorized pump costs at least $200.

EW has had a major impact in onion production in the off season. Through field visits, training sessions, and local radio shows where farmers share their experiences, EW has encouraged people to plant onions.

Specifically, Sagna has learned from EW how to make better use of his soil, planting three times a year instead of twice. “If you chose good plant varieties, if you choose good crop protection products and if you keep a close eye on your plants, you can grow crops during a time when others don’t and you can earn more money,” says Patrice Beaujault of EW Ziguinchor.
And Sagna has certainly earned more money. Prior to USAID support, in 2000, he earned the equivalent of $500 from his plot. In late 2004, he had already pocketed $1,800 and expected to fetch another $1,500 for the tomatoes he was growing for the market in Ziguinchor, where he had already sold more than 1.7 tons for a dollar a kilogram (2.2 pounds).

The boost in income has made a huge difference. “I eat well, I sleep well, I live well. And now I have employed five full-time workers to tend to my fields,” he says, adding that he thought about buying his own pump, but cautioned that he needs to take things one step at a time.

“You have to take a close look at what you want to accomplish. What I earn I will reinvest in material to ensure good harvests,” he says. The prudent planter also has dreams: In five years, he aims to own a very large parcel of land and employ at least 10 people.

These plans sound good to his wife, Fanceny Badji, who carries water on her head from collection basins filled with pumped water, almost incessantly, to keep the plants thriving. She hopes for even greater income, and perhaps a bit more time to rest.

Sagna is also known in the group of farmers as the defacto pump expert. When it breaks, he fixes it, and with good reason. Without it, he’d have to scale back his dream. And he’s not about to do that.