Barriers to the uptake of solar-powered irrigation by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review

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dc.creatorDurga, Neha
dc.creatorSchmitter, Petra S.
dc.creatorRingler, Claudia
dc.creatorMishra, Shrishti
dc.creatorMagombeyi, Manuel Simba
dc.creatorOfosu, Abena
dc.creatorPavelic, Paul
dc.creatorHagos, Fitsum
dc.creatorMelaku, Dagmawi
dc.creatorVerma, Shilp
dc.creatorMinh, Thai Thi
dc.creatorMatambo, Chamunorwa
dc.date2024-01
dc.date2024-01-10T20:27:01Z
dc.date2024-01-10T20:27:01Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T18:41:05Z
dc.descriptionIrrigation expansion is critical for agricultural and rural development, food and nutrition security, and climate change adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Lack of accessible energy for irrigation development due to limited off- and on-grid infrastructure and the resulting dependence on costly fuel-based irrigation have been key inhibiting factors for irrigation expansion in the region. Off-grid solar-powered irrigation pumps (SIPs) can overcome many of the energy access and other challenges in the region, but their uptake has been slow. Given the nascent development of the solar irrigation sector in SSA, this paper combines a review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature with key informant interviews to identify systemic barriers to the adoption and growth of solar-powered irrigation. We identify uncovered risks, lack of incentives, and lack of capacity as the key factors limiting the adoption of solar-powered irrigation. Moreover, despite significant global cost reductions, solar-powered irrigation systems remain costly in SSA due to limited market development and geographical constraints. Lack of regulation and low investment in building local institutions and value chains further affect uptake and inhibit leveraging the energy transition for ensuring food security and agriculture-led poverty alleviation in SSA. We propose a move away from thinking of SIPs as “silver bullets” and towards a systems approach and the design of context-specific solutions to address risks, incentives and capacity challenges.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/137536
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/162667
dc.languageen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relationhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/118155
dc.relationhttps://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001611
dc.relationhttps://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi9497
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceDurga, Neha; Schmitter, Petra; Ringler, Claudia; Mishra, Shrishti; Magombeyi, Manuel S.; Ofosu, Abena; et al. 2024. Barriers to the uptake of solar-powered irrigation by smallholder farmers in sub-saharan Africa: A review. Energy Strategy Reviews 51: 101294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2024.101294
dc.subjectirrigation
dc.subjectsolar powered irrigation systems
dc.subjectagricultural development
dc.subjectinfrastructure
dc.subjectsystems analysis
dc.titleBarriers to the uptake of solar-powered irrigation by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review
dc.typeJournal Article

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Instituto Internacional para el Manejo del Agua (IWMI)