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.

This study considers existing off-grid initiatives that are being implemented in support of more rapid electrification in sub-Saharan Africa. After first reviewing the successes and obstacles of commonly implemented off-grid solutions, we suggest groundwater irrigation powered via off-grid solar (OGS) systems as a productivity-focused electrification solution that could be valuable to off-grid development initiatives moving forward. This solution encourages the establishment of OGS pumping infrastructure in unelectrified areas in proximity to nonirrigated agriculture that have promising and sustainable groundwater abstraction potential. Using open-access spatial data to estimate the alignment of these resources is an important first step in determining potential study sites for on-the-ground research and pilot projects. This study focuses on applying the above approach to Ethiopia to produce a spatial layer representing areas that are recommended for further assessment of their OGS groundwater irrigation viability. We follow the spatial analysis with a projection of potential gains from investment in OGS groundwater pumping systems under different scenarios to highlight the solution’s viability with regional context. This assessment provides an initial methodology for identifying, examining, and expanding upon potential markets where OGS irrigation can become an economically viable solution.

Solar Energy Advancements in Agriculture and Food Production Systems aims to assist society and agricultural communities in different regions and scales to improve their productivity and sustainability. Solar energy, with its rapidly growing technologies and nascent market, has shown promise for integration into a variety of agricultural activities, providing an alternative, sustainable solution to current practices. To meet the future demands of modern sustainable agriculture, this book addresses the major existing problems by providing innovative, effective, and sustainable solutions using environment-friendly, advanced, energy-efficient, and cost-optimized solar energy technologies. This comprehensive book is intended to serve as a practical guide for scientists, engineers, policymakers, and stakeholders involved in agriculture and related primary industries, as well as sustainable energy development, and climate change mitigation projects. By including globally implemented solar-based agriculture projects in each chapter and highlighting the key associated challenges and benefits, it aims to bridge the knowledge gap between the market/real-world applications and research in the field. - Provides up-to-date knowledge and recent advances in applications of solar energy technology in agriculture and food production - Introduces two advanced concepts of agrivoltaics and aquavoltaics and addresses their potentials, challenges, and barriers - Explains the application of solar energy technologies in agricultural systems, including greenhouse cultivation, water pumping and irrigation, desalination, heating and cooling, and drying - Explains the use of solar energy in agricultural automation and robotics, considering precision agriculture and smart farming application - Describes new applications of solar energy in agriculture and aquaculture, and technoeconomic and environmental impacts of solar energy technologies in agriculture and food production

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.

Balochistan’s agriculture and related economic development during the last four decades has been driven by an enhancement in canal command areas and widespread use of tubewells. While it enabled yield increases and the growth of high value horticulture, it led to excessive mining of ground water. It is not only threatening sustainable agriculture and livelihoods but also creating severe environmental repercussions. It is generally believed that this unchecked groundwater extraction has been a result of policy regime, such as promoting installation of tubewells through various incentive schemes and tubewells subsidy which allows farmers to pay only 5-10% of the actual cost, and as a result the Federal and provincial governments have been paying PKR 23 billion per year.

Accounting for approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater on Earth, groundwater has the potential to provide societies with tremendous social, economic and environmental benefits and opportunities. However, this natural resource is often poorly understood, and consequently undervalued, mismanaged and even abused. In spite of its overall abundance, groundwater remains vulnerable to over-exploitation and pollution, both of which can have devastating effects on the resource and its availability. In the context of growing water scarcity across many parts of the world, the enormous potential of groundwater and the need to manage it sustainably can no longer be overlooked. The 2022 edition of The United Nations World Water Development Report describes the challenges and opportunities associated with the development, management and governance of groundwater across the world.

This book provides a synthesis of the key issues and challenges facing agriculture and food production in Southern Africa. Southern Africa is facing numerous challenges from diverse issues such as agricultural transformations, growing populations, urbanization and climate change. These challenges place great pressure on food security, agriculture, water availability and other natural resources, as well as impacting biodiversity. Drawing on case studies from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the chapters in this book consider these challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering key areas in constraints to production, the most important building blocks of good farming practices, and established and emerging technologies. This book will be a valuable support for informing new policies and processes aimed at improving food production and security and developing sustainable agriculture in Southern Africa. This informative volume will be key reading for those interested in agricultural science, African studies, rural studies, development studies and sustainability. It will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and agricultural practitioners. This title has been made available as Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CCBY-NC-ND) license and can be accessed here: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429401701