Terraforming the Niger River Delta

Construct river craft, we are calling rovers, electric/solar powered to travel set routes along the Niger river in Mali and Niger, providing irrigation, agricultural knowledge and exporting produce for economic development.

Solution  - locally construct electric powered catamaran rivercraft, we are calling rovers, importing the solar panels, the batteries, solar irrigation water pumps and related components, then deploying these in fleets, up and down the Niger river delta, expanding agricultural productivity by a factor of 100's.  

Addressing the Challenge - food insecurity - a polite way to say starvation - is impacting this region in a devastating manner, and the accompanying lack of economic development permits instability and war to spread.  

Scaled - any river with the same issues worldwide can build and deploy rovers.   

The urban and rural farms adjacent to the Niger are hand-watered and lack organic material, while the population lacks agricultural knowledge of modern practices.  War, strife and climate change have stressed an already precarious social and economic structure, with food insecurity widespread. 

Parachuting in with a solution and exiting, fails to provide lasting transformational change, therefore, 3rd world solutions require just not the 1st world technology, but the constant contact which imparts knowledge; and this is why a river boat - a rover - which traverses set routes along the Niger river, providing irrigation, instruction, knowledge and constant access, will transform the Niger river delta.  

This is basic Star-Trek 101. 

Increased agricultural productivity and economic development, via the deployment of river-rovers to the people living in the Niger river basin of West and Central Africa.  

How much do we export as part of the collective - They have food to eat and export and they earn money via the export

No one has ever done anything like this previously.   The idea of electric boats going up and down the Niger is unprecedented.  

People are starving and turning to war out of desperation 

The rovers will have a set route, going back on a scheduled basis.  

Sell the produce - moringa, etc - via the cooperative, to the developed world - conflict foods.   They already grow moringa - this is just increasing the yield by a considerable factor.  Local peppers and other produce is also very, very good.  

If war comes to the capitals - Niamey or Bamako - the ability to operate is hampered, as the US Embassies - my employer - will curtail staff.  

Collaboration with electronic engineers, marine engineers, agricultural experts, etc 

I have spoken with - not formal partners - Texas A&M, World Bank, senior leaders of the government of Niger and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.  

no one has done this before