Intro:
Agrosolar's mission as a company is to alleviate energy poverty, boost income and productivity, and combat climate change in rural Southeast Asia.
Agrosolar provides a sustainable and affordable alternative to conventional fossil-fuel water pumps. We distribute, finance and install solar water pumping systems to small farmers in Myanmar. Agrosolar combines irrigation pumps with solar installations and then provides financing to match the farmer's seasonal income.
By replacing their diesel pump with a solar pump, farmers can reduce operational costs up to $1,000 per year and can potentially increase their yields by up to 200%, as they can irrigate more of their arable land now that they do not have to pay for fuel to run their diesel pumps.
Who We Are:
Max Nelen and Michael Papi co-founded Agrosolar in 2019 with a shared dream to help farmers in Southeast Asia overcome their unique challenges. Low yields, water shortages, and unstable crop prices are an everyday reality for small farmers in the region. Agrosolar's growing local team of sales representatives, technicians and support staff is working everyday with small farmers to help them overcome these challenges.
The Project:
The COVID-19 crisis has disproportionately affected small farmers. With border trade reduced and restaurants shut, demand for fruits and vegetables has dropped. The prices which farmers are able to sell to wholesalers have dropped by as much as 90%. Many small farmers who are interested to replace their diesel pumps with a solar pump, are now hesitant to part with their limited cash savings due to the uncertainty of the current situation.
Our StartSomeGood project aims to help the small farmers in Myanmar that are most adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Farmers in the Meiktila township within Myanmar's "Dry Zone" are struggling with a severe drop in crop prices and overall market uncertainty. By providing a 250 USD donor subsidy to these potential customers, the overall price of the system will be reduced by 1/3. The subsidy will replace the downpayment for these 30 customers, allowing them stop paying for diesel fuel and reinvest these savings in their business.
Where your donation goes:
100% of your donations will be used for farming families affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Each of the 30 farming families will receive a 250 USD subsidy, reducing the payback period from 8 months to 4 months.
