SoLAR Phase II: Powering Climate-Resilient Agriculture in South Asia and East Africa

The Solar Irrigation of Agricultural Resilience (SoLAR) Phase II, which was launched by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) with the Swiss Agency of Development and Cooperation (SDC), aims to increase the use of solar irrigation systems in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Based on the results of Phase I, the program will strengthen small-scale agricultural operations by implementing evidence-based policies on policy formulation, new financing schemes, and capacity-building programmes to ensure the fair and equitable access of farmers to clean energy and simultaneously cut down the irrigation expenses.

The launch of SoLAR Phase II can be seen as a significant addition to the introduction of renewable energy technologies in climate-resilient agricultural systems in South Asia and East Africa. Based on the experience and successes of the Phase I (2019-2025), IWMI and SDC jointly implement the programme with SDC assistance. Its major goal is to empower the enabling environment of solar irrigation technologies through developing evidence-based policy frameworks, advancing financing mechanisms, and developing capacity-building programs.Its growth in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Ethiopia highlights the immense urgency as well as the potential contribution of solar irrigation towards countering essential issues that revolve around the scarcity of water resources, energy insecurity and climate change. Through effective promotion of socially and environmentally inclusive and sustainable solutions, SoLAR Phase II aims at empowering smallholder farmers, reducing dependency on fossil fuels, and improving agriculture in general. In addition, the programme has a strong emphasis on regional collaboration, exchange of knowledge, and fortification of institutions so as to ensure that the programme results endure. In this context, SoLAR Phase II is not a technological intervention as a mere solution; the whole of the initiative involves a holistic approach to follow the clean energy plan into the agricultural ecosystem to support the overall initiative of climate adaptation, food security, and rural development.

Background & Context

The event of SoLAR Phase II startup is an important milestone in incorporating solar irrigation in climate-resilient agricultural systems, which is expected to mitigate energy insecurity, water stress, and sustainability challenges in South Asian countries and East Africa. The SoLAR Phase II project, or Solar Energy for Agricultural Resilience Phase II, is an initiative led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) (SDC) to expand climate-resilient, solar-powered agricultural solutions across South Asia and East Africa.

History of SoLAR Initiative
Phase-I under the name Solar Irrigation for Agricultural Resilience (SoLAR) programme was launched in 2019 and targets a first focus on South Asia. Established by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) with the support of the Swiss Agency of Development and Cooperation (SDC), the project has shown that solar-powered irrigation pumps do have the potential to shift dependency on fossil fuels, irrigation expenses and agricultural output. Phase-I brought evidence to the fore regarding the socio-economic and environmental effectiveness of solar irrigation that would be used to generate more regions on a wider basis.

Phase II Expansion
Phase II transitions are an indication of the intense necessity of climate change in agriculture. India, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Ethiopia are facing ever-increasing problems, with one of them being the diminishing groundwater levels, the increasing cost of fuel, and erratic rainfall. Solar irrigation is a lasting solution because it will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and provide dependability on water to the small-holder farmers. Phase II will implement institutionalised solar irrigation in national climate policies and ensure marginalised population of farmers get access to solar irrigation expertise by scaling across South Asia and East Africa.

Policy and Institutional Setting
One of the major characteristics of Phase II is that it focuses on evidence-based policy frameworks. The results of the research projects and pilot initiatives in Phase I are being converted into policies that can be put to use to incorporate solar irrigation into wider climate resiliency policies. In Bangladesh and India, governments have committed to getting thousands of solar pumps installed, and Ethiopia and Kenya consider blended financing devices to hasten this pace. Such a policy-based solution ensures that solar irrigation is not just a technological try, but a systematic solution which relates to the priorities of national development.

Knowledge Sharing and Regional Cooperation
The need to have regional cooperation and sharing of knowledge is also emphasised in SoLAR Phase II. The Program is a key to collaboration between South Asia and East Africa. This type of collaboration can benefit the solar energy ecosystem, whereby what is learned in one part is used in strategies in another. This joint structure, in the end, makes the system more resilient and minimises duplication of efforts and speed of transition toward sustainable agricultural practices.

EBP Framework Policy

Evidence-Based Policy (EBM) frameworks are the key to the SoLAR Phase II, as they will ensure that solar-irrigation technologies are integrated into the national policy of climate resiliency, agricultural performance, and energy transitions across the different regions.

Integration and Resilience of Policies to Climate
Another characteristic of SoLAR Phase-II is the focus on the mainstream integration of solar-powered irrigation in the national climate-adaptation policies. Using empirical evidence of pilot projects in South Asia, the governments can be better placed to incorporate solar irrigation in the wider agricultural and energy plans. This would make solar technologies not be seen as independent interventions, but they would be systemic solutions that are in line with the national development priorities. As an example, solar irrigation is already being integrated into the existing renewable-energy and agricultural systems of India and Bangladesh and, in this way, strengthens the country in response to climate variability.

Indicators of Pilot Projects
Phase I obtained a considerable body of empirical knowledge on the socio-economic and environmental advantages of solar irrigation. These outcomes, including a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions as well as the decrease in the expenses of irrigation of the small-scale farmers, can be viewed as the basis of policy development in Phase II. IWMI and SDC have a knowledge base that is used in making decisions by systematically recording results. This factual presentation enhances credibility, thus the decision-makers can explain the use of solar irrigation systems as cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Collaboration and Governance
Good institutional working needs to have robust policy frameworks. The implementation of the SoLAR Phase II involves cooperation with governmental agencies, research centres, as well as the development organisations in order to make sure that the policies are based on scientific facts and practical solutions. This form of collaboration will also strengthen governance systems and mechanisms, ease monitoring and evaluation, and accountability in the implementation of the programmes.

Creative Financing and Growing Market

New financing and market building are two fundamental strategic pillars of SoLAR Phase II, and the aim is to make solar irrigation technologies affordable and economical to smallholder farmers in all of South Asia and East Africa.

Funding Problems in Solar Irrigation
One of the key challenges towards showcasing the use of solar irrigation systems is the large capital outlay of the solar pumps and other systems related to their installation. The farmers, who work in India, Bangladesh, Kenya and Ethiopia, are often faced with the inability to get affordable credit and are less than satisfactorily institutionalised. The traditional finance tools have not been useful, especially to the marginalised societies, hence the need to adopt other frameworks which combine subsidies, concessional lending and blended finance systems.

New Financing Structures
The programme lays focus on financial instruments that are innovative, such as pay-as-you-go programs, partnerships with microfinance, and government-sponsored investment modulations. The presence of such models puts the barriers of entry down centre because the costs are distributed across time and engage various stakeholders. As an illustration, micro-finance institutions may provide customised lending products to the smallholder farms, but the private actors might invest in service delivery and supply chain. Blended finance, which involves a mix of donor financing and commercial financing, will make it affordable and scalable. These mechanisms are ensuring higher levels of farmer involvement as well as the growth of entrepreneurship in solar irrigation markets.

Market Development and Strengthening of Ecosystem
In addition to financial factors, SoLAR Phase II is aimed at developing resilient markets for solar irrigation technologies. This involves the introduction of a green supply chain, ensuring the supply of spares that are needed, and the training of local technicians to maintain them. The programme is expected to reduce costs and improve service delivery by increasing competition among suppliers. Policy alignment is also crucial in market development, where the government provides incentives in the form of tax rebates and subsidies in addition to regulatory setups that encourage the intervention of the private sector. The vulnerability of solar irrigation systems to environmental degradation will be ensured through the strengthening of these ecosystems.

Cooperation and Knowledge Sharing
The growth of the market is also enhanced by the regional cooperation and sharing of knowledge. The South Asian and East African regions are facing similar issues with financing and infrastructure, which makes cross-learning a necessity. Experiences with solar pumps on a mass scale in Indiacan inform policy in Ethiopiaand Kenya. The SoLAR Phase II facilitates innovation in agricultural production by creating forums that facilitate policy dialogue between policy makers, financiers and farmers, thereby enhancing adoption. This intensive process is the assurance that financing and market development cannot be separated interventions, but are part of an overall strategy to deal with climate-resilient agriculture.

Capacity Building and Strengthening of the Ecosystem

The basic components of the SoLAR Phase II comprise capacity building and ecosystem fortifying, which guarantee the successful adoption, management, and sustainability of solar irrigation technologies in the South Asian and East African region.

Training and Local Empowerment
The main focus of the programme is to provide the farmers with the technical skills and practical knowledge base needed in the functioning and maintenance of solar irrigation systems. The focus of the training programs is installation, troubleshooting, and optimisation of water efficiency, therefore reducing the use of outside technicians. The intervention supports and makes farmers more owned by providing them with such competencies to remain viable in the long run. In addition, capacity-building goes up to the farmer cooperatives, and hence makes it easier to collectively bargain on some equipment, to finance them and maintain their services.

Strengthening of the institutions and Policy Integration
In addition to individual support to farmers, the initiative focuses on supporting institutional capacity. The national and regional agencies are helped to incorporate solar irrigation in larger frameworks of climate-adaptation and agri-development policy guidelines. This will involve training policymakers, extension workers and the financial institutions to understand the socio-economic and environmental benefits of solar irrigation. By enhancing institutional lift, maintaining the integration of solar irrigation into overall plans to ensure food security and energy transition, and rural development will be ensured.

Technological Ecosystem and Services
The second step puts special emphasis on developing robust technical ecosystems. The maintenance services are done by means of training local technicians to maintain the pumps, hence keeping them functional and reliable. Spare parts and equipment procurement chains are strengthened in order to address disruptions. Through technological transfer of solar irrigation services and promotion of local entrepreneurship in the solar irrigation services sector, the programme would develop strong markets that can survive adoption without donor assistance. Such a point of view on the ecosystem makes sure that no one sees solar irrigation as a one-time intervention, but a sustainable part of systems in agriculture.

Knowledge Sharing
The strengthening of capacity building with the help of regional collaboration and systematic knowledge exchange can be achieved. South-south co-operation can enable India and Bangladesh to be used to shape activities in Kenya and Ethiopia. Financing innovations, technology, and governance innovations are propagated under workshops, a platform of knowledge, and cross-country dialogue. This joint system addresses the fact that countries should adopt tried and tested strategies to their own settings, and thus, this will speed up the process and reduce redundant work.

Conclusion

The launch of SoLAR Phase II is an important milestone with regard to the institutionalization of solar irrigation in climate-resilient agri-food systems in South Asia and East Africa. The programme increases the adoption of sustainable energy in agriculture through the implementation of evidence-based policy frameworks, new financing models and holistic capacity-building strategies, which systematically eliminate the structural barriers to sustainable energy uptake. Its emphasis on regional cooperation and ecosystem solidarity guarantees that solar irrigation becomes no more than an intervention of technical change but a systemic solution of food security, climate flexibility, and rural progress, thus, in this way, providing an example of how clean energy may become a source of inclusive development and strengthening vulnerable agrarian economies.