Hybrid Energy Powered Smart Irrigation System for Smallholder Farmers

Water scarcity already affects every continent, and the problem is more prominent in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Water shortages have drawn the attention of the development community to the necessity of achieving more efficient use of limited water resources, especially in agriculture to increase crop production and to achieve global food security in a sustainable way. This target, however, demands an increase in the irrigated area regardless of the water resources available.

Access to sustainable and cost-effective irrigation system is key to many small-scale farmers in order to sustain their livelihoods and food security. Running an irrigation system is still extremely challenging. There are still no electricity grid-extension in many rural areas in many developing countries. In the absence of a reliable electricity supply, farmers have to resort to diesel-based pumping systems. These systems create high operating costs, often experience service gaps, contribute to GHG emissions, and contribute to the energy bill in countries that do not produce such fuels. Therefore, renewable energy options, and in particular solar and wind energy, seem a very promising solution for sustainable agriculture in regions with high-solar-insulation and wind energy density, given its environmental advantages, low maintenance and increasingly low investment costs.

This project aims to design, develop and demonstrate a novel "smart irrigation system" powered by "solar and wind energy" simultaneously. This technology is cost effective, efficient, with no running cost, and zero emission. This will provide energy access to small-scale farmers for irrigation of food and cash crops, and results in an increase in their earnings.