Moshi, TZ – Irrigation improvements expand school gardens – 22 Mar 2019

Tupendane and Kahe Primary School completed construction of a tank stand and 10,000 liter water tank at the school. The raised water tank feeds a network of standpipes throughout the school vegetable gardens. The system makes garden irrigation effective, efficient, easy and enjoyable for students.

Kahe Primary School’s farm plan includes 6 acres of farmland for corn and beans, 75 beds of organic vegetables, and 6 standpipes. The raised water tank is a critical piece of infrastructure for supporting the vegetable gardens.

The infrastructure has helped Kahe Primary School provide school breakfast to students every day so far in 2019. The tank stands and standpipes enable students to spend less time watering and more time on other activities like weeding, replanting, and studying. As the school increases vegetable production,they will be able to provide more vegetables to the daily feeding and sell excess vegetables to pay for gasoline to fuel the water pump.

Security needs increase with the expansion of gardening infrastructure like the tanks, standpipes, and water pumps. Additionally, Water pumps require necessary maintenance to increase the longevity and gasoline to pump water up into the tank. Tupendane and Kahe Primary School are collaborating to agree the people, process, and parts needed to ensure lowest total cost of ownership for all of their irrigation infrastructure. This includes planning regular maintenance of the water pump and thinking about security concerns for vulnerable infrastructure.