A new water pump has been unveiled in Kiambu to boost farming. The water pump, introduced by Farmlink Africa, is fitted into a motorbike.

Farmlink Africa director Peter Mbuguiro said many youths in Central Kenya are engaged in farming and the pump will help them draw water from rivers and boreholes for their crops using motorbikes. He said the pump uses 0.4 litres of petrol per hour to pump 22,000 litres of water.

The pump can also be used to wash cars and put out fires. "The pump which costs Sh10,000 uses only Sh40 of petrol to pump water per hour," he said adding that Farmlink Africa will lend the pump to those who cannot afford it. Ndumberi coffee growers cooperative society chairman Raymond Gitau said he introduced Farmlink Africa to the youth adding that the pump technology is borrowed from China.

He said he has been persuading parents in Kiambu to allow their children to be involved in coffee farming. "I realised so many youths had no jobs and were being involved in drug abuse and alcoholism.

I decided to talk to their parents who agreed to give their children several coffee bushes to manage," Gitau said. Mbuguro said the pump can be a good source of income if used well "Boda boda industry in Kenya has thrived and I thought of a way to help the youth earn an income even when they are not carrying passengers," Mbuguiro said. Mbuguiro urged the youthto embrace the technology .

Source : allafrica.com