The formation of a Vital Edge micro-garden TECHNICAL service team will both reduce the overall cost of establishing micro-gardens , and potentally provide a regular income stream for the establishment of new micro-gardens. The pilot program was established using multiple sub-contractors for each part of the construction process. There are substantial cost reductions and efficiency improvements to be gained by the establishment of an in house technical team to carry out each phase as a co-ordinated construction team:
If the micro-savings group is the “soul” of the new “micro-garden” , then WATER is the “blood “. No agriculture is possible without it. Vital Edge has explored many options and encountered many obstacles in searching for a solution to this problem. Refurbishing wells, only to find them ultimately inoperable, commissioning boreholes that don’t go deep enough, contracting with water companies for metered water, only to find they can’t deliver on the contract. The solution is to create a VITAL EDGE WELL DRILLING TEAM that can drill the bore hole , install the pump , and connect the solar panels to make it work as well as install the drip-irrigation system and construct the perimeter fence. This reduces the price from $6000.00 per borehole to $1500, and ensures a secure effective and continuously serviced water supply. This is a service that is required by numerous other NGOS in Senegal, (egg OXFAM) so it is likely to be able to profitably fulfill those needs for other organizations at a lower price than is available elsewhere.