They sold the surplus produce at local markets. The earnings greatly increased their ability to buy food during the dry season which can last six to nine months.
People in the two villages with the systems were able to eat three to five more servings of vegetables per day. But making the surplus available at markets also had a wider effect.
The study compared the villages with two others where women farmed with traditional methods like carrying water in buckets. The amount of vegetables eaten in those villages also increased, though not as much.
The researchers note that only four percent of the cropland in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated. Using solar power to pump water has higher costs at first. But the study says it can be more economical in the long term than using fuels like gasoline, diesel or kerosene. And solar power is environmentally friendly.
The study appears this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms. You can post comments and learn about other issues in the developing world at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25