Aqib Solar Group

Aqib Solar Group comprises three members living in the district of Kasur. All of the group members are male smallholder farmers aged between 27 and 41. In total, they have 12 children in their households, eight of whom are in education while others are pre-school or learning skills. All of the group members are married. The group has a joint total of 16 dependents in their households.

Aqib Ali is one of the members of the Group. He is 27 and he lives with his wife and five children; three daughters and two sons, two of them are in education while others a pre-school. His wife takes care of the household chores. He owns around four acres of land, where he grows wheat in the winter and rice in the summer. On average he estimates that he earns around £755 profit per year in total from farming.

He and the other group members use a tube well to extract water for irrigation, which runs on diesel and electricity. This is expensive as the price of fuel has increased and it is also environmentally unfriendly. The group, therefore, requested a loan to purchase and install a solar tube well (5 kilowatts having 6 solar panels). This relies on energy gathered through large solar panels to power the well. Although there will be an initial outlay, in the long run, the group believe they will save money by not having to pay for expensive diesel, there will not be the noise associated with the diesel motor and it will be more environmentally friendly. They expect to increase yields and profitability by being able to use the solar tube well when they wish, rather than when they can afford it. And also, they want to upgrade the technology of the resources they use.