Annex I: Prototype of Climate Smart Villages

for smallholder producers’ experiential learning in the Somali Region of Ethiopia

“Tell me I forget. Teach me I remember. Involve me I learn” Benjamin Franklin

The climate smart villages to be established in the Somali region of Ethiopia will enable smallholder farmers
to change their lives and they will be having the following innovative amenities.

CLIMATE-SMART MODEL VILLAGES: All-in-one package of integrated interventions as well as farm advisory
services will be made available at the demonstration sites in order to ensure practical and experiential learning
of smallholder producers. The planned demonstration and piloting sites in the three target woredas of the
Fafen zone of Somali Region, namely: Awbare, Tuli-guled and Haroreys will be named “Climate-smart
Villages” as they will be places where farmers, pastoralists and agro-pastoralists from all the kebeles of the
respective woredas come to learn by doing agricultural business in a climate-smart manner. What makes these
villages special is that thousands of smallholder producers will have the hands-on experience to understand
what it means to be climate-smart in practical terms, above and beyond theoretical discourse.

COMMUNITY-BASED EXPERENTIAL LEARNING: These climate-smart villages will be driven by the quote by
Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me I forget. Teach me I remember. Involve me I learn”. As such these villages will be
established following the Community-based Participatory Planning (CBPP) approach with a ultimate objective
of not only climate smart production but also to serve as a prototype of carbon neutral food systems, i.e.
carbon produced in these villages will be offset using action which can absorbed back to ensure that a “net
zero” emission. Therefore, carbon creating activities will be deliberately paralleled with carbon absorbing
interventions in the package together with efficient and climate-smart agricultural technologies for food
production.

HUB OF CLIMATE-SMART TECHNOLOGIES: Labor, time, water, energy and other resource-efficient,
environmentally-friendly and small-scale technologies such as solar technologies for cooking and preserving
food and piloting the use of a zero-energy, gravity-based ‘drum pump’ and inputs to irrigated feed, fodder,
crops and vegetables production are some of the readily available interventions of high potential for ensuring
food security. Drought-tolerant and early-maturing varieties of seeds will be selectively promoted via
community-based approaches. The project will establish a hub of these and other feasible technologies for
smallholder context.

AGRICULTURAL INPUT SUPPLY SYSTEM: Agrovet dealers will be identified and support and linked to small-
scale producers in a business to business (B-to-B) model in order to supply agricultural inputs such as improved
seeds, fertilizers, agro-chemicals (insecticides, weedicides, pesticides, etc) and other relevant production
inputs. Relevant private sector entities will be given a matching grant to set up or strengthen existing shops
through a cost sharing-modality.

VALUE ADDITION AND POST HARVEST TECHNOLOGY: Local value-adding and post-harvest technologies to
enhance resource use efficiency will be introduced. This will enhance the market participation and
competitiveness of smallholder producers. A host of readily available innovative approaches and platforms
through which positive outcomes have been registered in the Somali region exist, including Pastoral Field
Schools (PFS), Famer Field Schools (FFS), and Farmer Market Schools (FMS), can be used as entry points for
innovation and change. The above community-based and community-managed groups are engaged in
producing and marketing irrigated crops, fruits, seedlings and livestock feeds, including hydroponic fodder
production. This project proposes that such groups be transformed into climate-smart villages with a blend of
bottom-up and top-down strategies. Communities, through facilitated dialogue, will identify, articulate and
prioritize their problems and livelihood strategies of choice to which they will be shaped to make financial,
material and labor contributions. The project will facilitate and support such community-driven actions and
provide a menu of life-changing skills, knowledge and affordable technologies to enhance smallholder
producers' production, productivity and market success.

RATIONALE FOR A DRUM PUMP: A drum pump is a type of pump made from a steel barrel(s), intake pipe(s),
outlet pipe, gate valves and ventilation (priming) pipes. This type of a pump is becoming popular these days
in South East Asian countries. It doesn’t use fuel or oil for its operation which will significantly reduce cost of
operation for agro-pastoralists/farmers. It doesn’t need electricity and only uses atmospheric pressure
difference within the mechanical system (Figures 1 and 2). It can also operate for 24 hours a day and 365 days
a year. The system has to be both water and air tight and can pump from any source (river, pond, well etc)
with a depth of 6 meters. For more than 6m depth, a relay system of drum pumps can be used. VSF-Suisse will
engage different partners and stakeholders (consultants, private sector, government institutions, agro-
pastoralists/farmers etc) at different stages of this piloting. Prototype of three drum pumps will be produced
and stationed in the three target woredas for demonstration;

Uses of a drum pump: A drum pump has multi-dimensional uses that includes, for small scale irrigation,
livestock water supply and spraying, crop and fodder production, potable water supply. In addition, it can be
used for fishery production, gardening, water fountain uses and job creation for women and youth. etc.
Procedure of operation:
The following procedure should be followed for proper operation of a drum pump
 Barrel stand should be erected properly and firmly. The stand can be made from locally available
materials such as metals and woods.
 Empty metal barrel with all necessary installed pipe fittings should be placed on the stand.
 All pipes should be fixed according to the local situation and to destination where the water is required
 During priming (filling with water) of the empty barrel, gate vales on air vents should be opened while
those on the delivery pipe should be closed
 The barrel should be filled with water 70 to 80% of its volume before the operation
 To start the operation, gate vales on air vents should be closed first and after that the gate valves on
the delivery pipes should be opened
 If the above procedures are not followed, then the drum pump will not function.
Materials required for manufacturing of a drum pump: The following materials are required to manufacture
a drum pump on site.
 Metal/steel barrel(s)
 Plastic Pipes
 Fittings (reducers, connectors, unions, gate valves etc)
 Appropriate glue
 Locally available material for stands, nails or rope for fixing of the stand
 Tools required to manufacture and fix the drum pump are drilling tool, small pipe wrench, pipe cutter,
pliers or hammer
 Figure 1: Schematic view of a drum pump

Air vent and priming pipes

200 liter steel
barrel
Inlet Pipe
Air trap pipe
Stand
for the
barrel
6m

Outlet pipe

Water Source
Figure 2: Series of drum pumps (relay system)

6m

6m

6m