Solar Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers, Kenya

This project has installed over 10,000 state-of-the-art solar systems to help farmers irrigate crops even during dry seasons. These have been thoughtfully built to address farmers’ biggest daily challenges, with multiple battery options, a complete sprinkler system, and a direct drip irrigation system.

75% of farmers in the project’s region of Kenya are dependent on unpredictable rain-fed agriculture. Due to the low penetration of solar irrigation kits in the market, the most common alternative is diesel powered pumps. These use around 6 liters of fuel a day which constitutes a major portion of farmers’ earnings. By offsetting diesel and petrol pumps, the solar pumps offset 54,549 tCO₂ over the most recent monitoring period.

By reducing water usage by around 80% these systems increase land productivity, which in turn increases food security and revenue for communities. In addition to reducing emissions, solar-based solutions also provide reliable irrigation, saving households around 17 hours a week collecting water.

In addition to delivering emission reductions to take climate action (SDG 13), the project delivers a number of other benefits including:

• No Poverty: 87% farmers using solar pumps reported increase in savings.
• Zero Hunger: 90% of farmers reported production increase by using solar pumps. This is due to drip and sprinkler methods of irrigation.
• Gender Equality: Farmers saved 1 hour/day on average by using a solar pump.
• Clean Water and Sanitation: 42% farmers reported improved farm irrigation using solar pumps.
• Affordable and Clean Energy: The number of pumps operational during the latest monitoring period was 10,815.
• Decent Work and Economic Growth: Distribution of solar irrigation kits resulting in increased opportunities for employment.