By Zonful Energy
In Zimbabwe, less than 5% of Zimbabwe’s cultivated land is irrigated, while more than 13 million hectares of land (11%) are suitable for solar irrigated agriculture.
With this in mind, Zonful Energy introduced a solar irrigation solution that could improve yields, enhance crop and water productivity, and reduce farming time and physical burden compared to manual irrigation.
Zonful Solar irrigation pumps are also longer-lasting, more efficient, and cheaper than petrol-powered pumps. Zonful Energy’s PayGrow utilizes solar technology as an affordable, sustainable, and effective alternative to rain-fed irrigation or petrol pumps.
However, Zonful’s customers face significant obstacles including affordability and awareness of the technology, as this requires customers to pay substantial upfront amounts to get the product.
To address this, Zonful Energy will implement a Pay-As-You-Grow financing solution allowing rural off-grid farmers to pay small monthly fees.
Our PAYG financing introduces affordability and helps our customers self-finance their access to clean solar-powered water pumps through customized 18 to 36 months payment plans without getting into high upfront cash outflows.
The company has also addressed the lack of awareness through marketing campaigns, regional sales and support centers, and industry advocacy.