Mali, a West African nation of 10 million people, is on the edge of the Sahara desert. It is a very poor country; with an average GNI of $240, labor is cheap and mechanized equipment is very expensive.

One of the biggest challenges the Malian people face is water supply; some villages have to dig as deep as 120 meters (400 feet!) to hit water. Getting this water to the surface is a big part of this challenge; traditional methods such as ropes and buckets are strenuous, and more modern tools like electric or gasoline-powered pumps are beyond the financial reach of rural Malians.

One technology that I promoted while I was in Mali was the Segou Pump. This simple pump uses a combination of suction and direct action to lift water to the surface from as deep as 18 m (60 ft). Due to its simplicity, it is very easy to build, operate and maintain.

Mousa Kone, in my home village of Bounguel, had installed a Segou pump in his own orchard a few years before. His pump allows him to water his one hectare of mangoes, guavas, and vegetables. His dependable water supply also makes him one of the few farmers in the region to be able to grow and sell high-margin grafted mango seedlings.

While I was there, we arranged for him to install and maintain two more Segou, allowing him to keep up his skills and expand his marketing opportunities.