This document discusses integrated solar irrigation solutions to make smallholder farming more resilient and equitable. It proposes on-grid and off-grid solar solutions in India and Africa to reduce costs and risks. On-grid systems would sell excess solar electricity to the power grid to mitigate groundwater overexploitation and increase incomes. Off-grid systems can provide energy access, food security, and access to water. The document also discusses using digital innovations like advisories, early warning systems, and integrated information platforms to help farmers manage climate uncertainties and water resources.

1. Integrated solar irrigation
solutions
for resilient and equitable
smallholder farming
Petra Schmitter,
International Water Management Institute
Contact: p.schmitter@cgiar.org

2. Designing suitable solar irrigation
solutions
Make solar
equitably accessible
Make solar
environmentally sustainable
Solar
irrigation
for SHF
Integrated water
resource management
Irrigation management
and efficiency
Feasible outscaling
Access to tailored
finance
Access to
Appropriate technologies
Reduced prohibitive upfront costs
On-and off-grid solutions in India and Africa
Incentives to safeguard groundwater
On-grid solutions in India
Enhancing social inclusion
Off-grid where landless farmers taking joint lease
Increased subsidy for women
Sources: Closas et al. (in prep)

3. On-grid systems: Sell solar ‘as a crop’ to mitigate overexploitation of
groundwater & enhance incomes1
Off-grid systems: Can provide energy access, food and livelihood
security, access to water2
Benefits of the model
• Reliable day-time energy for irrigation
• Feed-in tariff for selling excess electricity to the grid
• Supplementary, counter-seasonal incomes for farmers
• Diversified, cleaner power grids
Benefits of the model
• Reduced prohibitive
upfront costs
• Relatively equal
distribution of risk
amongst gov., lender and
borrower
• Tailored financing to
farmers’ needs (e.g.,
repayment schedules)
Pilot on- and off-grid solution
Sources: 1 Shah et al. (2018); 2 Otoo et al. (2018)

4. Advisories and warning to
farmers to enhance food security and livelihoods
under climate uncertainties
Data-based FLI advisories through mobile phones
on agricultural, irrigation and market advice to
optimize yields and minimize crop failure
Drought monitoring and early warning system
combining local information on soil moisture with
remote sensing and artificial intelligence
Integrated information platform for water planning,
management and monitoring to manage more variable, scarce
and contested water resources
Data cube of geographical and geophysical attributes to provide
geo-spatially tailored information (e.g. technology suitability)
IoT, AI, Blockchain to help monitor usage, overexploitation, water
quality, water rights, water productivity
Water accounting estimations of source availability and uses to
enable better planning, allocation, monitor, enforcement &
stewardship
Digital innovations generally require contextualization, ground truthing and suitable dissemination pathways
Digital integration