REFRUIT (Resource Efficient Farming by Renewable Ugandan Irrigation Technology)

REFRUIT (Resource Efficient Farming by Renewable Ugandan Irrigation Technology) addresses the barriers to irrigation uptake in Uganda and aims to deliver a technical solution and commercial strategy to improve productivity and livelihoods for the ~34M agrigulturally dependent population in Uganda. The project combines the easy-to-use and highly localised precision irrigation of Farm-Hand with the robust and low-cost solar pumps of Futurepump for field trials in the Gulu region of Uganda co-ordinated by Gulu Agricultural Development Company. Uganda utilises less than 0.5% of its irrigation potential. Simple irrigation has the potential to increase yields up to 5 times and precision irrigation further increases farm productivity by increasing yields and decreasing inputs. REFRUIT's objective is to adapt smart precision solar irrigation for the Ugandan context through a participatory process involving gathering baseline data and stakeholder workshops with farmers and aggregators; to demonstrate its performance through field trials; and to build a sustainable commercial case for its roll-out that utilises existing local structures. REFRUIT aim is to deliver a commercially viable and potentially disruptive renewable irrigation solution.