Projects Archive - Practica Foundation

Exploring affordable Faecal Sludge Management Business opportunities in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Luca Peters — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 13:35:37 +0000

In African cities, most of pit latrines can’t be properly emptied using conventional vacuum trucks. Even when well equipped, manual pit emptying is a very difficult, costly and time-consuming business. With over 60% of the urban population in Sub-Saharan Africa using pit latrines, improving efficiency of pit latrine emptying services is a key issue. Hence, Practica Foundation developed an innovative new pit emptying device called the PuPu pump which is designed to pump high viscosity sludge with debris as a low cost portable pumping unit, opening the door for small enterprises to offer improved and affordable desludging services in Africa The PuPu pump has been successfully tested in our workshop in the Netherlands and in real field conditions in Madagascar.

The post Exploring affordable Faecal Sludge Management Business opportunities in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Strategic Partner (PS T2) of the CILSS to support the implementation of type 2 irrigation solutions (small scale private irrigation) – PARIIS

Luca Peters — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 11:48:32 +0000

The objective of the PARIIS project is to improve the capacity of stakeholders to develop and manage irrigation, and to increase the areas irrigated by following a regional approach based on “irrigation solutions” in the six participating countries (Burkina Faso , Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Chad). The consortium led by Practica is a strategic partner (PS T2) of CILSS to support the implementation of type 2 irrigation solutions (small-scale irrigation solutions).

The post Strategic Partner (PS T2) of the CILSS to support the implementation of type 2 irrigation solutions (small scale private irrigation) – PARIIS appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Intensification of agricultural production through upscaling of innovative adapted irrigation practices and technologies (IRRINN)

Luca Peters — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 18:04:58 +0000

PRACTICA is a technical partner in a new EU-funded small-scale irrigation project in Burkina Faso called IRRINN. It is a research project with the aim of achieving an impact on development. The project is coordinated by CIRAD and will be implemented with 6 project partners. For 4 years, different “irrigation solutions” will be tested and documented in an iterative participatory process. Successful solutions will be capitalized for scaling up. The project will focus on 2 types of irrigation; 1) Small Private Irrigation and 2) Complementary Irrigation with Small Stormwater Collection Basins (BCER). PRACTICA will mainly contribute to the Small Private Irrigation type.

The post Intensification of agricultural production through upscaling of innovative adapted irrigation practices and technologies (IRRINN) appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Geophysics and digital tools training for SNAPE

Marion Cuisin — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:52:38 +0000

Manual drilling is an important sector for UNICEF and government of Guinea to construct drinking water wells at a reduced cost. However, the geohydrology is very variable and the success rates vary a lot from one region to another. As a response, the Service National des Points d’Eau de Guinée (SNAPE) will receive tools and training to do VES measurements, which allows them to select the most feasible sites for drilling. Geophysics will also be used to explore the potential of manual drilling in areas with little experiences so far.

The post Geophysics and digital tools training for SNAPE appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Improving the success rate of manual drilling in Liberia with AEL and EQUIP

Marion Cuisin — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:49:06 +0000

Mission Alliance Liberia works with AEL and EQUIP on interventions that are prioritized by the local population. Construction of drinking water points through manual drilling has commenced in 2018, but with mixed results. Practica has been consulted to identify weaknesses and improvements and to provide training to increase the success rate of drilling.

The post Improving the success rate of manual drilling in Liberia with AEL and EQUIP appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Towards scalable irrigation development in Amudat, Uganda

Marion Cuisin — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:46:23 +0000

Amudat is a district in North-East Uganda featured by a pastoralist livelihood that is increasingly challenged. ZOA has identified the development of small-scale agriculture as a pathway to increase food security and stability in the region. To this end, the ZOA Business Advisors have supported the establishment of demo gardens with irrigated vegetable production. Practica has been invited to assess the situation and define strategies for a sustainable growth.

The post Towards scalable irrigation development in Amudat, Uganda appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Development of TokenTap mechanical payment system

Marion Cuisin — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:44:30 +0000

Development of a purely mechanical, coin-based payment system for small rural water systems. Developed with a grant from VOX Impulse.

The post Development of TokenTap mechanical payment system appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Emergency response drilling in Central Mozambique

Marion Cuisin — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:42:26 +0000

In March 2019, the cyclone Idai has hit Central Mozambique causing heavy rainfall and widespread flooding in Sofala and Manica provinces. 1.85 Million people have been affected and many have lost their home. Safe drinking water was a key priority to avoid cholera outbreaks. Dorcas and Practica have partnered to establish a manual drilling team that could construct drinking water wells for the internally displaced people. While most areas were inaccessible for the conventional drilling companies, the manual drilling teams could reach the affected areas by small boats and provide an immediate response.

The post Emergency response drilling in Central Mozambique appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Supporting UNESCO-IHE students with equipment and geophysics training in Sierra Leone

Marion Cuisin — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:40:14 +0000

To support students of UNESCO-IHE in Delft for their research on brackish water in coastal regions in Sierra Leone, we supported them with resistivity equipment and training.

The post Supporting UNESCO-IHE students with equipment and geophysics training in Sierra Leone appeared first on Practica Foundation.

Exchanging best practices and innovations on sand river drilling and irrigation

Marion Cuisin — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:38:47 +0000

The Aqua4Labs project led by UNESCO-IHE aims to develop knowledge on the productive use of sand rivers in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya and Ethiopia. In 2018, Practica has worked with the Instituto Superior Politécnico de Gaza (ISPG) on the development of low-cost drilling methods and irrigation systems for sand river areas. Similar activities had been implemented in Zimbabwe by Dabane Trust. To learn from each other and jointly develop optimal techniques, a field trial week was organized in Zimbabwe. During this week experiences from both countries have been demonstrated and new ideas have been tested.

The post Exchanging best practices and innovations on sand river drilling and irrigation appeared first on Practica Foundation.