Case Study - Hariyali (Solar Powered Pumps)

No body chooses to be poor, and intelligence is not the preserve of the wealthy;
All we want is access to the tools, to make our own destiny.
CASE STUDY - Hariyali
SEWA’s endeavour to provide solar powered pumps
to the poor salt farmers in remote villages of LRK
in a sustainable and scalable manner
About the social enterprise/background/why it was started
Self Employed Women’s Association (www.sewa.org), started in 1972, is a member based organization of
poor rural women in India. The two goals of SEWA are Self Reliance and Full Employment. SEWA adopts
an integrated approach to achieving its goals comprising the following elements –
a. Organizing – for collective strength, bargaining power and to access information, knowledge,
finance, skills, healthcare, etc
b. Capacity Building and Market Access – to compete in the market & leverage market efficiencies
c. Capital Formation – to enable asset ownership among the poor women
d. Social Security – to enable security on food, income, healthcare, childcare & shelter
SEWA has 1.93 million women members across 12 states in India, and is also working closely with SAARC
to replicate the SEWA model in the neighboring countries of South and Middle Asia.
In 2011, SEWA identified the problems posed by the almost unanimously used method of drawing brine
water for producing salt in the Little Runn of Kutch (LRK).
India today is the third largest producer of salt in the world, with 77% of its production in the Little Runn of
Kutch (LRK), a 5183 square kilometer land mass having dual characteristics of saline desert and wetland.
Spread over 5 districts in Gujarat, 43,000 salt farmers depend upon it for their livelihoods.
The production of salt is through harvesting of sub-soil brine and is labor intensive. During the monsoon
season, the desert is covered with the rainwater as well as the sea-water due to ingression; this evaporates
in October- November. At that time salt workers start their work. The land preparation involves pumping out
stagnating rainwater, forming of field channels, overhauling of electric motor, strengthening of bunds,
stamping of land in the salt pan for several hours with bare foot after putting fresh sand. The salt production
process is initiated by digging wells to access the brine water and pumping the brine continuously into the
salt-pans for several months. Farmers use diesel powered pumps for the same, consuming approximately
7 litres of diesel every day for 7 to 8 months - using approximately 1,500 litres of diesel during every
season from November to May, costing Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000 per season, per farmer. The entire
process needs to be continuously monitored as salt crystals begin to crystallise under the harsh sun. Every
year from October–May (period varies based on monsoon), the salt farmers migrate to the desert along
with their families to produce salt. They live in temporary make-shift houses made of mud and bamboo
sticks in harsh temperature of the desert for these 8 - 9 months every year, in extreme poverty conditions.
The problems - documented through surveys, questionnaires and observations over a period of 1 year –
were mainly on cost, poor quality of equipment, productivity and education, and are summarized as follows:
- High cost of diesel
- Inefficient pumps, frequent breakdown in diesel pumps, low productivity, harmful emissions
- Exploitation by traders and middlemen
- Low returns for the farmers i.e. as low as 12 - 15 paisa/kg of salt they produce (with net income of Rs
22,000 per season per farmer. This is equivalent to US $ 375 per season of 8 months)
- Low awareness of technology or market prices
With little money left for investing in building up assets, it leads to a permanent, vicious cycle of poverty. It
is imperative to ensure access to clean solar energy technology for the poor salt farmers. The most
important benefit this can enable is reduce cost of running to zero, thereby at the least, doubling their
incomes. This will help them preserve their way of life, yet escape from poverty permanently.
Hence in 2013, SEWA resolved to pilot solar powered pumps to 5,000 of its members in remote villages of
LRK, in a sustainable and scalable manner. The endeavor is being implemented with the help of a special
purpose vehicle Grassroot Trading Network for Women (GTNfW).
Things done/accomplished, challenges faced
To implementation the program, SEWA did the followinga) Piloted 10 solar powered pumps using different technologies viz. DC motor, AC motor, different types of
solar panels, with and without batteries, standard junction box vs. variable frequency drive, etc. In
addition, we also understood the cost aspects of these combinations.
b) Realising that the poor users are unable to afford these products, GTNfW is actively working with
potential lenders and donors to raise low cost funding for financing the purchase of the equipment by the
salt farmers. A 1 HP solar powered pump-set costs approx. US $ 1,900; to make them affordable for the
poor salt farmers, GTfW intends to partly finance this with grant capital and partly from low cost loans.
c) SEWA has already organised the salt farmers into producer cooperatives. It helps them bargain for a
better price - with traders and directly with salt factories. This directly increase their incomes.
d) The cooperatives will also be helpful in facilitating repayment of bank loans.
From the above experiences, the emerging lessons and policy issues are as follows:
i) Exactly as salt farmers use diesel powered pumps to produce salt, so do all farmers use diesel powered
pumps to irrigate their fields for various crops, throughout the year. Across the developing world.
ii) There is low awareness among farmers about harmful emissions & high cost of diesel, versus options
on clean energy that are now increasingly available. During the last decade, the cost of solar cells has
plummeted from US $ 100 per watt to US $ 1 per watt. Policy makers need to devise ways to create
awareness among farmers about the benefits of clean technology.
iii)Even with this drop in prices, farmers are unable to pay the cost upfront. Policy makers need to devise
mechanisms to enable credit from lenders to to farmers for these equipments.
iv)Products need to be customised to meet user needs. Manufacturers tend to push standard products
without understanding differences in water viscosity, depth variations during a season, multiple uses that
the farmer wants to use the equipment for, etc. To scale up, they need to offer ‘customised’ products.
v)Policy makers need to devise ways to educate manufacturers on quality, ensure it through standards on
equipment and materials.
Legal structure
Grassroot Trading Network for Women is a not for profit company formed under section 25 of the
Companies Act 1956. It has been promoted by and is owned by members of SEWA.
Contact details: The contact details of GTNfW are as follows:
Address:
C/o SEWA Mahila Gram Haat,
8 - Navrang Colony, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India). Pin 380009
Telephone:
+91-79-26589729
Website:
www.sewa.org and www.gtnfw.org
Contact person: Ms Reema Nanavaty,
Director - SEWA and GTNfW
Email:
[email protected]
VOICES of SEWA Women SALT WORKERS and PHOTOGRAPHS
Women producing salt
Diesel Powered Pump
“We work and live in this desert from
October to May, and produce 700
tons of salt. We have to take loans
from salt traders to buy diesel, and
for our fuel, food & drinking water.
The trader buys the salt, takes back
his loan and then pays us. Last year
we earned Rs 22,000 for 8 months.
Solar Powered Pump
This year, we started using SEWA’s
Solar Pump. With this, we dont need
to take loans from traders. Our
income this year will be at least Rs
50,000. I can now send my child to
school, and invest in a sewing
machine”
Devuben (salt worker),
Dhrangadhra, Surendranagar.
SEWA Logo GTNfW Logo

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