A farm pond is a hand-dug, on-farm storage structure of 30–300m3 capacity. A farm pond harvests water from surface water runoff. The pond can be unlined if the soil is impervious (i.e. no holes for seepage), but GHARP/KRA tend to recommend an improved structure. This pond is lined with ultra-violet resistant plastic lining to prevent seepage, and roofed with iron ...

An earth dam is a large surface-water storage structure (usually 5,000–100,000m3 storage capacity) constructed either manually (5,000–10,000m3) or mechanically (above 10,000m3) across a natural drainage channel, where the water is held by an earthen dam wall. A water pan is constructed either manually or mechanically by excavating the reservoir on a flat or gently sloping landscape, with the excavated earth ...

A roof catchment system comprises a runoff generation area (building roof), guttering system (including a simple foul-flash component to trap/divert the first flush of dirty water), and a storage tank of various storage capacities (up to200m3 depending on catchment area and rainfall patterns). The foul flash can be opened and closed manually when the rainy season begins, to ensure that ...

A sand dam is a 1–5m high masonry barrier/wall constructed across seasonal streams for retaining water upstream. The reinforced masonry wall traps sand (which holds subsurface water) upstream. The dam wall (embankment) is usually built in stages to allow deposition of high porosity coarse sand, which stores more water. The lighter particles, especially silt, which may reduce the porosity and ...

A subsurface dam is an impervious barrier (masonry, clay, plastic etc) constructed beneath the surface to retain water upstream. It operates like a sand dam, except that it is below the surface of the riverbed, and also its construction is not very complicated as the wall is supported by the sand downstream. This means it does not require reinforcement, and ...

A rock catchment system is developed in areas with naturally-occurring rocky outcrops. These form the catchment area for harvesting rainwater runoff. The runoff is diverted by masonry gutters built onto the rock face and then channeled to either an in-situ storage reservoir (created by constructing a 1-2m high masonry wall on the lower side of the rock catchment) or an ...

A shallow well is a hand-dug hole, normally 5–30m deep, constructed to extract groundwater from shallow aquifers or sand/subsurface dams. Shallow wells are constructed where there is a high groundwater table. A shallow well is protected by lining it with bricks or masonry walls that reduce contamination and only allow water recharge/seepage from the aquifer, whether this is natural or ...

A spring is a natural groundwater outlet where water comes to the surface. Most rivers and springs in fact start from a spring or series of springs. To protect the spring from contamination, a spring box buffer zone is created to filter the water through a gravel pack (made up of rock, gravel, and sandy layers). The water moves through ...

A livestock trough is a watering system for animals and it can be constructed for both cattle and for sheep/goats, or as two separate units for each animal type. It is constructed next to a water storage reservoir (e.g. earth dam/water pan, tanks or gravity water supply system). The troughs are mainly constructed using masonry blocks, rubble stones, bricks etc. ...

Drip irrigation is a micro-irrigation method where low-pressure water is allowed to drip slowly into the root-zone through emitters spaced at pre-determined intervals (e.g. 15, 30, 45, and 60cm) depending on crops spacing requirements. For low-head drip irrigation systems, water pressure is created by raising the supply container (e.g. bucket, jerrican, or tank) to 0.5–1.5m, or connecting the drip system ...

Afridev pump: This type of pump is very robust and can pump to a depth of 45m. It is made of galvanized steel and is corrosive-resistant.  India Mark II hand pump: This pump is very robust and can pump up to a depth of 50m. The pump is made of galvanized steel and so is very durable and designed for ...

A ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine is a simple option that is derived from upgrading the ordinary pit latrine to include: ventilation pipe, wire gauze, concrete slab, self closing door, and darkening of the inner parts. This sanitation approach minimises the breeding of flies which are responsible for transmission of diarrhoea diseases. The VIP uses movements of air across the ...

Ecological sanitation (ecosan), is based on these fundamental principles: Preventing pollution rather than attempting to control it after pollution has occurred. Sanitising the urine and faeces to make them safe when in contact with humans and in the natural environment. Utilising the end product safely for agricultural purposes such as soil improvements/supplements or additives. The fundamental difference between VIP and ...

Bee-keeping is the art and science of domesticating bees (insects) for production of products such as honey and wax. Bee-keeping is an important part of small-scale integrated farming systems and works particularly well near natural forests or on integrated farms with abundant water and flowers. Bees are very beneficial as they are vital contributors to pollination and crop production. GHARP/KRA ...

An energy-saving stove is an improved cooking stove designed to reduce the utilisation of fuel wood. Energy-saving stoves come in a variety of styles, but those implemented by GHARP/KRA are known as Jiko Kisasa. They are made using pottery clay and sand for the internal liner, and soil and sawdust for the outer structure. The materials can be collected locally. ...

This is a simple, free, and effective method for decentralised water treatment, usually used for household water treatment and safe storage. SODIS involves disinfecting water using sunlight and polyethylene terephthlate (PET) bottles. Basically, clean, clear PET bottles are filled with water and the cap closed, then exposed to direct sunlight for up to six hours. During exposure, the UV-A radiation ...

Agroforestry is an integrated approach which combines growing trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock in order to better utilise the benefits. It blends agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, and sustainable land-use systems. In agroforestry, selected suitable tree species are planted and grown alongside crops and livestock in farms. Agroforestry is a very important ...

A simple, hand-operated hay baler is a piece of farm equipment used to compress a cut and raked crop such as hay, straw, silage or grasses into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store for later use as livestock feed. Manual balers come in different shapes, either cylindrical or rectangular. The most common type is the rectangular. ...

Draught animal technologies (DAT) utilise domestic animals to improve agricultural productivity by assisting in crop production, environmental conservation, and rangeland rehabilitation (ploughing, harrowing, and de-silting) by drawing appropriate equipment. Animals can also save households time and effort by carrying water and fuel wood. Recurrent droughts and over-grazing can leave dry rangeland areas very degraded and with low soil quality – ...

The animal-drawn dam scoop assists in loosening the soil in an earth dam/water pan and scraping it off by dragging it away. A dam scoop has a capacity of between 50 to 150 litres and can be used to de-silt earth dams/water pans in order to prevent siltation and maintain their capacity to hold water. Once the scoop has filled ...

An animal-drawn tined harrow consists of a heavy frame with sharp teeth or upright discs used to break up or even-off ploughed ground. Harrowing is often carried out on fields following the rough finish left by ploughing. The purpose of harrowing is to break up clods (lumps of soil) and to provide a finer finish, and a good tilth or ...

The animal-drawn plough is pulled by the animal, but directed by a farmer, to make the initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seeds or planting. It can be fitted with a sub-soiler attachment which helps to cultivate deeper into the land. Different types of ploughs are available for use, but the type used by GHARP/KRA is a donkey ...