Thu, 05/14/2015 - 00:00

MORTON GROVE, Ill. (May 14, 2015) – The Saajhi Stepping Pump by Xylem Inc. has been selected as a silver winner at the Edison Awards in New York City, earning honors in the Agricultural Enhancements category. The awards, inspired by Thomas Edison’s persistence and inventiveness, recognize innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy. The Saajhi Stepping Pump was developed in 2013 through Xylem’s Essence of Life initiative. It uses human weight and motion to move water and was designed to help smallholder farmers in rural areas to irrigate their land more efficiently. “Using the Saajhi Stepping Pump enables smallholder farmers to increase their crop yields and generate income for their families,” said Keith Teichmann, director of innovative networks and marketing, Xylem. “This award is a testament to our mission and commitment to improve agriculture for smallholder farmers, facilitate sustainable rural enterprise and elevate quality of life in these communities." Essence of Life works with citizens and public and private partners to understand the needs of, and develop solutions for, rural farmers in developing nations. The Saajhi Stepping Pump helps farmers cultivate crops for sale, providing opportunity for economic mobility within their communities, and supporting sustainable agricultural operations. The Saajhi has already boosted production for rural farmers in Africa, Asia and Central and South America, tripling crop yield over rain-fed fields and reducing labor by more than 25 percent compared to traditional furrow irrigation. “Xylem is working to continue Thomas Edison’s legacy of challenging conventional thinking,” said Frank Bonafilia, Edison Awards’ executive director. “Edison Awards recognizes the game-changing products and services, and the teams that brought them to consumers.” Edison Award nominees are judged by more that 3,000 senior business executives and academics from across the nation. The votes acknowledge the finalists’ success in meeting the award’s stringent criteria for quality and innovation. Xylem is a global water technology provider, enabling customers to transport, treat, test and efficiently use water in public utility, residential and commercial building services, industrial and agricultural settings.