A woman farmer in Ethiopia using a solar-powered pump to draw groundwater for irrigating her crops.
Photo: Maheder Haileselassie/ IWMI
Solar irrigation initiative launched
The partnership brings together IWMI’s research-for-development expertise and ESEDA, an independent non-profit association linking private-sector and policy networks. It aims to strengthen the enabling environment for solar energy applications in agriculture, particularly solar-powered irrigation.
IWMI explains that the agreement is part of the Solar Energy for Agricultural Resilience (SoLAR) project. Led by IWMI and supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the SoLAR project aims to unlock investments to scale solar energy solutions for agriculture. Now in its second phase, SoLAR operates across India and Bangladesh in South Asia and Ethiopia and Kenya in East Africa.
Agriculture is a major driver of Ethiopia’s economy, and solar irrigation is increasingly seen as a viable option to support rural livelihoods. Ethiopia’s entry into SoLAR comes as the country accelerates efforts to expand clean irrigation.
Through this new partnership, IWMI and ESEDA are working to integrate solar energy into national programmes. They will test gender-inclusive financing models and generate on-field evidence through pilot demonstrations. Furthermore, IWMI researchers are going to introduce knowledge-sharing platforms to improve food security and advance climate adaptation.
Collaboration in research and knowledge exchange
IWMI and ESEDA are collaborating in research on integrating solar technologies into water resource management, too. The focus is on innovations in climate-resilient agriculture and efficient irrigation systems. The partnership also aims to facilitate knowledge exchange through training and capacity-building for farmers, technicians and policy-makers, strengthening awareness and adoption of best practices in solar-powered irrigation.
Piloting PPP businesss models
The Country Project Management Committee (CPMC), of which ESEDA is a member, is a national-level coordination body established under IWMI’s SoLAR project. The CPMC guides implementation, ensures alignment with government priorities and facilitates coordination among key stakeholders, including public institutions, research organisations and private sector actors in Ethiopia. One key component of this collaboration is private sector engagement. IWMI and ESEDA are working together to forge partnerships with private sector actors and pilot Public–Private Partnership (PPP) business models.
These pilots aim to demonstrate the economic viability of solar-powered irrigation solutions and help unlock investment for scaling access to climate-resilient and solar-powered irrigation solutions, says IWMI.
(IWMI/wi)
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