Solar-powered irrigation succeeds in Benin

The results of their study were published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Compared with villages that use hand irrigation, the pumps increased the daily production of vegetables by up to 700 grams per person, equivalent to five servings, during the rainy season. The researchers also found that people in control villages ate 150 grams more than their usual intake, suggesting that the extra vegetables were being sold in local markets.

Source: Panos London