In 2021, the United Nations Secretary-General will convene the Food Systems Summit to advance dialogue and action towards transforming the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food guided by the overarching vision of a fairer, more sustainable world. The Secretary-General will also convene the High-Level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) to promote the implementation of the energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Given the inextricable linkages between the energy and agriculture sectors, integrating the nexus perspective within the FSS and the HLDE is crucial to formulate a joint vision of actions to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. In this context, IRENA and FAO have decided to jointly develop a report on the role of renewable energy used in food chain to advance energy and food security as well as climate action towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. While energy has a key enabling role in food system transformation and innovation in agriculture, its current use is unsustainable because of the high dependence on fossil fuels and frequent access to energy in developing countries. The challenge is to disconnect fossil fuel use from food system transformation without hampering food security. The use of renewable energy in food systems offers vast opportunities to address this challenge and help food systems meet their energy needs while advancing rural development while contributing to rural development and climate action.

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.

The book Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation is intended as a text book of micro irrigation design and practices for the students of the agricultural sciences and the professionals and workers in the field of micro irrigation. The book discusses the type and components, hydraulics and design, installation and maintenance of micro irrigation system. It contains good number of numerical as example and task to get the students familiar to the requirements, complicacies, and possible remedies in actual working condition. In addition to conventional broad and short questions in every of the book there are multiple choice questions to assist the students in preparing the competitive examinations.

With the continued implementation of new equipment and new concepts and methods, such as hydroponics and soilless practices, crop growth has improved and become more efficient. Focusing on the basic principles and practical growth requirements, the Complete Guide for Growing Plants Hydroponically offers valuable information for the commercial growe

The report begins by reviewing the evidence to date focussing on the magnitude and geographical distribution of food losses. In the next sections the role of energy in post-harvest losses is discussed. Thereafter, the main entry points within the food value chain where lack of access to energy is the dominant factor influencing food losses is discussed. This report outlines low cost and off-grid post-harvest cooling and processing technologies that can be made available in developing countries. These household to community scale evaporative cooling systems, solar assisted cooling systems and as well as solar drying systems that can help increase shelf life . Additionally, through case studies, focus is laid on assessing the technical and economic feasibility of cooling and processing technologies. Finally, recommendations are made that could be incorporated to further develop food loss strategies that can classify food value chains based on their energy demand. This will enable policy makers to quickly understand the main technologies for food preservation and processing that can be introduced based on the available energy sources in a given region.