The Benefits and Risks of Solar Powered Irrigation - a global overview

Download or read book The Benefits and Risks of Solar Powered Irrigation - a global overview written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2018-04-12 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The report gives a state-of-the-art overview of policies, regulations and incentives for the sustainable use of solar-powered irrigation technologies (SPIS) around the world. SPIS offer a viable, low-tech energy solution for irrigated agriculture, providing a reliable source of energy in remote areas, contributing to rural electrification, reducing energy costs for irrigation and enabling low emission agriculture. Nevertheless, SPIS have a significant initial investment cost and require innovative financing models to overcome this barrier to adoption, especially for small-scale farmers. Technical knowledge and service infrastructure is needed to ensure that the systems run effectively. Moreover, SPIS – if not adequately managed - bear the risk of fostering unsustainable water use as lower energy costs may lead to over-abstraction of groundwater. This report looks at how different countries work to create an enabling environment for SPIS technologies, while managing the risks that come with it.