IWMI Leads the Way: Scaling Solar Irrigation for Climate-Resilient Agriculture

By Maha Al-Zu’bi; Susanne Bodach; Seifu Tilahun

IWMI Leads a Global Effort to Turn Proven Innovation into Sustainable Impact Across Asia and Africa

Powering Change, Sustainably

When the morning sun rises over Ishnav village in India, farmer Ramanbhai Parmar checks the quiet hum of his solar pump before heading to his fields. A few years ago, he relied on a diesel motor that guzzled fuel and money. Now, the sun powers his crops without over extracting water from the ground —and through the state’s Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) program, he even sells surplus electricity back to the grid. Ramanbhai’s story shows how a simple shift in incentives can transform solar irrigation from a water risk into a sustainability solution. By rewarding farmers for saving rather than pumping more groundwater, IWMI’s SoLAR program has supported India’s transition toward groundwater-aware solar irrigation, linking clean energy with sustainable water use.

But the same sunlight tells another story elsewhere. In parts of the Middle East and North Africa, solar pumps have made water extraction so cheap that aquifers are falling faster than they can recharge. The World Bank’s MENA water analysis and the FAO’s analysis on managing risks of solar irrigation report warns that without groundwater governance; solar irrigation can unintentionally accelerate depletion in already water-stressed basins such as Morocco and Egypt.

This is the solar-irrigation paradox: the same technology that can empower farmers and boost food security can also strain the very water resources it depends on if not managed wisely.

Recognizing this dual challenge, IWMI brought together its regional teams at the Solar Irrigation Scaling Challenge Workshop in Colombo to co-develop pathways for scaling solar irrigation responsibly — integrating climate-smart practices, governance frameworks, and inclusive financing models at landscape and watershed levels.

As part of CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact program, the effort supports the Flagship on Scaling Smart Irrigation and Climate-Resilient Water Systems, turning research into practical solutions that close the climate adaptation gap. The workshop captured the breadths and diversity of IWMI’s work across regions and geographies, highlighting innovations that combine solar irrigation, soil and water management, digital advisory, and inclusive finance to tackle some of the most pressing agricultural challenges.

Linking Local Innovation to Global Impact

Across two days of dynamic discussion and collaboration, participants explored how local innovations can drive global transformation including key themes such as:

• Bundling technologies and practices: Combining solar irrigation with water-saving approaches such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), drip and micro-irrigation, and soil moisture–based advisory services.
• Diversifying crops and livelihoods: Promoting less water-intensive crops to balance productivity, income, and water conservation.
• Strengthening institutional and policy frameworks: Ensuring adoption is supported by government programs, financial services, and local extension systems.

The workshop underscored that scaling is not merely about deploying hardware – it is about building resilient socio-technical systems that deliver long-term impact and contribute directly to the priorities of CGIAR Scaling for Impact Program. These priorities come to life in the countries where IWMI and partners work.

Innovations Across Regions: Country Spotlights

The workshop highlighted five country teams, showcasing IWMI’s regional diversity and range of innovative approaches to solar irrigation:

• Nepal: Leveraging decentralized solar irrigation systems and smart irrigation information platforms, Nepal integrates volumetric water allocation dashboards to improve groundwater management. Targeted interventions support women and youth farmers, aiming to deploy 7,500 systems benefiting 130,000 households, creating over 3,000 jobs, and influencing policy reforms in irrigation and energy.
• Pakistan: Focused on groundwater-aware solar irrigation, the team combines solar suitability mapping, soil moisture sensors, and advisory services. Farmers receive crop-specific guidance to optimize water use, while pilots demonstrate how farm- and watershed-level interventions can enhance productivity without depleting aquifers.
• India: By integrating energy knowledge into agricultural extension agents, citizen service centers, and women’s self-help groups, India leverages institutional infrastructure to expand solar irrigation adoption. Targets include reaching 1 million farmers by 2028, with integrated credit access and technical advice through MNRE, NABARD, and ICAR partnerships.
• West Africa (Ghana & Nigeria): Innovations include solar pump sizing tools, suitability mapping, and bundled technology-finance-agronomy solutions. These approaches reduce investment risks, increase climate resilience, and support inclusive adoption aligned with national renewable energy and irrigation priorities.
• East & Southern Africa: Teams demonstrated landscape-level planning and soil-water management innovations, exploring how solar irrigation interacts with watershed sustainability, recharge structures, and local agronomic practices to optimize long-term resource use.

Together, these examples illustrate how technical innovation, inclusive finance, and enabling policies can accelerate climate-resilient irrigation at scale.

Peer Learning, Evaluation, and Co-Creation

A key feature of the workshop was the peer-evaluation pitch format, where participants assessed each country team on:

• Innovation and technological integration
• Scalability and system design
• Partnerships and institutional alignment
• Targets and contribution to the IWMI solution track

This collaborative format fostered cross-country learning, helped teams to refine their approaches and Key Performance Indicators, and reinforced that scaling works best through co-creation, not top-down deployment. The peer-learning process also strengthened a shared understanding of how innovation and inclusion must progress together.

Reflecting on Sustainability and Social Inclusion

Participants turned the broader question of groundwater sustainability, social water productivity, and equity into adoption approaches. Discussions emphasized:

• Incentivizing water-efficient irrigation while preventing rebound effects
• Integrating qualitative indicators, including inclusion of women and youth, local participation, and ecosystem resilience
• Leveraging low-cost, context-appropriate technologies alongside high-tech solar solutions, such as soil moisture–based irrigation or clay pitcher systems

This dialogue reflects IWMI’s commitment to adaptive, multi-dimensional strategies that balance technology, policy, and social outcomes across diverse regions. These insights directly inform ongoing efforts to scale smart irrigation systems and climate-resilient water management under the CGIAR 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy.

From Plans to Practice

With refined country strategies in place, IWMI and its partners are turning plans into action—building stronger links with governments, private actors, and financial institutions. Their progress will be measured not only in systems installed or hectares irrigated, but in deeper shifts toward inclusion, equity, and better water governance.

Looking Ahead

The Colombo workshop reaffirmed a shared commitment to scaling solar irrigation responsibly and inclusively. By integrating innovations from Nepal, Pakistan, India, West Africa, and East & Southern Africa, IWMI demonstrates how context-specific technologies, system-level thinking, and peer learning can transform water and climate resilience worldwide.

This workshop also advances CGIAR S4I objectives, providing practical pathways to address CGIAR 2030 Grand Challenge on “Close the Climate Adaptation Gap through Scalable Climate Services and Smart Water Management” and contributing to the Flagship on “Scaling Smart Irrigation and Climate-Resilient Water Systems”, ensuring that IWMI’s innovations reach millions of farmers sustainably and inclusively.

IWMI’s approach is clear: scaling solar irrigation is not just about pumps or subsidies—it is about building resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural systems across diverse regions and geographies.