Solar-Based Irrigation Bundle (SBIB): Solar Irrigation Solution with Flexible Payment and Services

Affordable Solar Irrigation for Year-Round Farming!

The Solar Irrigation Solution with Flexible Payment and Services is an integrated approach that combines solar-powered irrigation pumps with PAYGO, PAYOWN, and other flexible payment arrangements to improve smallholder farmers’ access to irrigation. Instead of requiring farmers to cover the full equipment cost upfront, the solution allows payments to be made according to agreed schedules, including flexible payment amounts and frequencies. Digital payment options, such as mobile money, can also facilitate payments where available. The solution also addresses service barriers that can limit the adoption of solar irrigation. Suppliers and service networks provide pump suitability advice, installation support, warranties, spare parts, repairs, and technical assistance. By combining financing with equipment and pre- and after-sales services, the approach can help governments and implementation partners address the financial and service constraints that prevent smallholder farmers from adopting solar irrigation and support wider access to year-round irrigated farming.

This technology is pre-validated.

9•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 9/9; level of use 8/9

Positive impacts: 12

Target Groups	Positive Impacts
Women smallholder farmers in remote areas	Improved access to solar-powered irrigation through flexible payment options. More reliable water access for year-round crop production. Reduced dependence on petrol and diesel pumps and associated fuel costs. Increased household food production and livelihood opportunities.
Youth smallholder farmers in remote areas	Improved access to affordable irrigation through PAYGO and PAYOWN financing. Greater opportunities for year-round agricultural production. Reduced irrigation costs through the use of solar energy instead of fossil fuels. Improved income opportunities through more reliable agricultural production.
Smallholder farmers in remote areas	Improved access to reliable solar-powered irrigation. Greater ability to maintain crop production during dry periods. Reduced dependence on fossil-fuel-powered irrigation and fuel costs. Improved agricultural productivity, food availability, and livelihoods.

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Unintended impacts: 12
Mitigations: 12

Barriers: 12
Mitigations: 12

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

The bundle can adapt to different farming and institutional contexts and has already scaled beyond Ghana to Ethiopia and Mali, with potential for wider adoption across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

The bundle improves climate resilience through reliable irrigation, lower fuel dependence and costs, year-round production, and 97–98% lower greenhouse gas emissions than diesel pumps.

Carbon footprint: Much less carbon released

The bundle reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 97–98% compared with diesel-powered irrigation pumps.

Environmental health: Greatly improves environmental health

The bundle improves water-use efficiency and water productivity while supporting sustainable groundwater management as adoption expands.

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

The technology focuses on solar-powered irrigation and does not directly affect soil health or fertility.

Water use: A bit less water used

The bundle improves water-use efficiency and productivity but requires groundwater monitoring and sustainable water management to prevent over-exploitation and water-use conflicts.

Problem

High upfront costs for solar irrigation equipment limit smallholder farmers’ access to solar-powered irrigation.
Limited access to suitable financing prevents many smallholder farmers from adopting solar irrigation without paying the full equipment cost upfront.
Inadequate sales and after-sales services limit access to installation support, technical assistance, spare parts, repairs, and warranties.
Limited market availability of solar-powered pumps restricts wider access to solar irrigation compared with petrol, diesel, and other traditional irrigation options.
Limited adoption of solar-powered irrigation constrains smallholder farmers’ ability to produce crops throughout the year.

Solution

Flexible payment options, including PAYGO and PAYOWN, reduce the upfront investment barrier and improve smallholder farmers’ access to solar irrigation.
Tailored payment arrangements allow farmers to pay according to their ability to pay, payment frequency, and payment amount.
Sales and after-sales services provide installation support, warranties, spare parts, repairs, and technical assistance needed for continued use.
Sales and service networks expand farmers’ access to solar-powered irrigation equipment and technical support.
Solar-powered irrigation systems provide an alternative to petrol and diesel pumps and support farmers’ capacity for year-round crop production.

Key points to design your project

The Solar Irrigation Solution with Flexible Payment and Services provides governments with a practical approach to expanding smallholder farmers’ access to solar-powered irrigation. By combining solar pumps with flexible financing, tailored payment options, and sales and after-sales services, the solution helps reduce financial and service barriers to adoption, supports year-round irrigated farming, and promotes more sustainable energy use. Its adoption contributes to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).

To integrate this solution into your project, plan and budget for the following activities and prerequisites:

Prioritize smallholder farmers and irrigated farming areas where access to solar irrigation is limited.
Integrate PAYGO, PAYOWN, and other flexible payment arrangements into solar irrigation support programs.
Facilitate access to solar-powered pumps and irrigation equipment through reliable private-sector suppliers and service networks.
Support installation, technical assistance, maintenance, spare parts, repairs, and warranties to strengthen long-term technology use.
Promote digital payment options, including mobile money where available, to facilitate flexible payment arrangements.
Establish partnerships with solar irrigation suppliers, irrigation companies, farmer organizations, service providers, and relevant research and development actors to expand access and service delivery.
Consider de-risking support, subsidies, or other financial mechanisms to reduce investment barriers and encourage private-sector participation.
Monitor farmer adoption, access to solar irrigation, use of flexible payment options, and year-round irrigated production, while supporting sustainable water management as adoption expands.

Cost vs. revenue

Data reliability of this estimate:: 100 %

Return on investment 56 %

Every USD invested returns USD 0.56 net income.

Detailed financial information ›

IP

Open source / open access

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology\’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology\’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 9 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: validated

Level of use 9 out of 9

Used by some intended users, in the real world

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Positive impact 12

Target Groups	Positive Impacts
Women smallholder farmers in remote areas	Improved access to solar-powered irrigation through flexible payment options. More reliable water access for year-round crop production. Reduced dependence on petrol and diesel pumps and associated fuel costs. Increased household food production and livelihood opportunities.
Youth smallholder farmers in remote areas	Improved access to affordable irrigation through PAYGO and PAYOWN financing. Greater opportunities for year-round agricultural production. Reduced irrigation costs through the use of solar energy instead of fossil fuels. Improved income opportunities through more reliable agricultural production.
Smallholder farmers in remote areas	Improved access to reliable solar-powered irrigation. Greater ability to maintain crop production during dry periods. Reduced dependence on fossil-fuel-powered irrigation and fuel costs. Improved agricultural productivity, food availability, and livelihoods.

Unintended impact 12

Target Groups	Unintended Impacts	Mitigation Measures
Women smallholder farmers in remote areas	Limited financial resources may delay adoption of solar irrigation systems. Household responsibilities may reduce participation in training and technical support activities. Limited access to suppliers and after-sales services in remote areas may make maintenance and repairs difficult. Unequal decision-making over farm investments may limit women’s ability to invest in solar irrigation.	Facilitate access to PAYGO, PAYOWN, subsidies, or other flexible payment options. Organize training at convenient times and locations for women farmers. Strengthen local sales and service networks to improve access to maintenance, spare parts, and repairs. Promote gender-responsive extension services and inclusive decision-making on farm investments.
Youth smallholder farmers in remote areas	Limited capital may discourage investment in solar irrigation systems. Limited technical knowledge may affect proper system operation and maintenance. Poor access to extension and technical services may slow technology adoption. Limited access to suppliers and service networks in remote areas may make equipment and spare parts difficult to obtain.	Improve youth access to PAYGO, PAYOWN, subsidies, and affordable financing options. Provide practical training on solar pump operation, irrigation management, and basic maintenance. Expand youth-focused extension and technical advisory services. Strengthen local supplier and service networks and link youth farmers to relevant providers.
Smallholder farmers in remote areas	Limited financial resources may delay adoption of solar irrigation systems. Limited access to suitable financing may prevent farmers from overcoming upfront equipment costs. Limited technical knowledge may affect system operation and maintenance. Poor access to suppliers, spare parts, and after-sales services may limit long-term use of the technology.	Facilitate access to flexible financing, PAYGO/PAYOWN, subsidies, or other appropriate payment mechanisms. Provide training on system selection, operation, irrigation management, and maintenance. Strengthen local sales and service networks in remote areas. Improve access to spare parts, repairs, technical assistance, and after-sales support.

Barriers 12

Target Groups	Barriers to Adoption	Mitigation Measures
Women smallholder farmers in remote areas	Limited financial resources to invest in solar irrigation systems. Limited access to suitable financing options. Limited participation in training and technical support due to household responsibilities. Limited access to suppliers, spare parts, and after-sales services in remote areas.	Facilitate access to PAYGO, PAYOWN, subsidies, or other flexible payment mechanisms. Strengthen local sales and service networks to improve access to equipment and support. Organize training at convenient times and locations for women farmers. Use women’s groups and local extension services to improve awareness and access to technical information.
Youth smallholder farmers in remote areas	Limited capital to invest in solar irrigation systems. Limited technical knowledge of solar pump operation and maintenance. Limited access to extension and technical support services. High costs of accessing suppliers, spare parts, and agricultural services in remote areas.	Improve youth access to PAYGO, PAYOWN, subsidies, and affordable financing options. Provide practical training on solar pump operation, irrigation management, and maintenance. Expand youth-focused extension and technical advisory services. Link youth farmers to suppliers, service providers, farmer organizations, and demonstration activities.
Smallholder farmers in remote areas	Limited financial resources to cover the upfront cost of solar irrigation equipment. Limited access to suitable financing and flexible payment options. Limited technical knowledge and access to training. Poor access to suppliers, spare parts, repairs, and after-sales services in remote areas.	Facilitate access to flexible financing, PAYGO/PAYOWN, subsidies, or other appropriate payment mechanisms. Provide practical training on system selection, operation, irrigation management, and maintenance. Strengthen local sales and service networks in remote areas. Improve access to spare parts, repairs, technical assistance, and after-sales support.

Cost of the investment Sum of all fixed and operational expenses..	USD 1,426 Per season per hectare
Gross revenue Sum of all income before subtracting costs.	USD 2,225 Per season per hectare
Net income Gross revenue minus total cost.	USD 799 Per season per hectare
Return on investment Percentage of income earned for each dollar invested, calculated as: (income ÷ cost of investment) × 100	56 % Per season

References:

TAAT e-catalogs cost-revenue-roi form .pdf (PDF, 482.09 KB)

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Mali	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Zambia	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - cool
Arid		–	–
Semiarid		–	–
Subhumid		–	–
Humid	–	–	–

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 1: no poverty

The technologies help smallholder farmers overcome high upfront irrigation costs through flexible financing, supporting more reliable production, higher farm incomes, and improved livelihoods.

Goal 2: zero hunger

By improving access to irrigation, the technology supports year-round crop production, increased agricultural productivity, and food availability for smallholder farmers.

Goal 6: clean water and sanitation

The technology improves water-use efficiency and productivity by providing reliable solar-powered irrigation and supporting better management of available water resources.

Goal 7: affordable and clean energy

Solar power lifts and conveys water for irrigation, replacing fossil-fuel energy.

The Solar Irrigation Solution with Flexible Payment and Services can be adopted by assessing irrigation needs, selecting a suitable system and payment option, and using the available sales and after-sales support.

Key recommendations

Assess the farm’s water source, crop needs, and irrigation requirements.
Select a suitable solar-powered pump with a supplier or service provider.
Choose a suitable payment option, such as PAYGO, PAYOWN, or another available arrangement.
Purchase and install the system with support from the supplier.
Operate the solar-powered pump to move water from the available source to the farm.
Make payments according to the agreed schedule, including through digital payment services where available.
Use the sales and service network for maintenance, spare parts, repairs, and technical support.

Step 1 – Assess irrigation needs

Identify the farm’s water source, crop needs, and irrigation requirements to determine the appropriate irrigation system.

Step 2 – Select the solar irrigation system

Work with a supplier or service provider to select a suitable solar-powered pump and related irrigation equipment.

Step 3 – Choose a payment option

Select Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO), Pay-As-You-Own (PAYOWN), or another available payment arrangement according to the agreed terms.

Step 4 – Purchase and install the system

Purchase the solar-powered pump and related irrigation equipment. The supplier provides installation support to set up the system.

Step 5 – Operate the system

Use the solar-powered pump to move water from the available water source to the farm for irrigation.

Step 6 – Make the agreed payments

Make payments according to the agreed schedule, payment frequency, and amount. Digital payment services such as mobile money can be used where available.

Step 7 – Access after-sales support

Use the sales and service network for maintenance, spare parts, repairs, warranties, and other technical support.