by Christine Lagat
NAIROBI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Three indigenous green start-ups from the eastern Africa region were on Monday declared winners of an international award for initiating projects that transformed livelihoods at the grassroots level.
A statement from Ashden, a British charity that rewards groundbreaking projects in green energy said the three start-ups from East Africa won the 2017 Ashden Awards for setting precedence in low carbon development.
"From developing solar irrigation pumps to promoting low carbon buildings to providing powerful solar home systems, all the three organizations have been recognized as leaders in their field in this region," the charity said.
The three green start-ups include Futurepump that manufactures low cost, efficient and portable irrigation pumps for Kenyan smallholders, Haileybury Youth Trust, a charity that is training Ugandan youth to build houses using blocks from compressed earth and Mobisol that sells solar systems to households.
Futurepump was singled out for pioneering an irrigation technology that enables smallholder farmers reduce their carbon and water footprints while boosting their incomes.
Ashden award judges hailed the portable solar powered irrigation technology terming it a game changer in climate resilient food production across the region.
"Futurepump's pioneering solar powered irrigation technology is helping smallholder farmers irrigate more land and leapfrog to year round sustainable crop growing which is simultaneously increasing their productivity and incomes," the judges noted.
They said that use of diesel powered irrigation systems is not only costly to small-scale farmers but has also worsened air and water pollution crisis.
The Ugandan based Haileybury Youth Trust has provided jobs to local youth who are involved in manufacture of interlocking blocks made from compressed earth that are an alternative to ecologically harmful fired bricks.
Judges noted the building technology has reduced deforestation, carbon emissions while booting the health outcomes at the local setting.
Mobisol which scooped the Ashden Judges' special Award has installed 80,000 solar home systems that have benefited 400,000 people across East Africa.
This solar technology enables customers to charge their household appliances like refrigerators, television and mobile phones at an affordable cost.
Thomas Duveau, the Chief Strategy Officer at Mobisol noted that solar solutions tailor made for households and small businesses will plug a yawning energy access gap in the region while boosting economic growth.
