Through a recent study conducted on Solar Irrigation
Pumps provided by ACF, Nabarun Sen Gupta, a rural development professional, shares insights and key features of the importance of such pumps
inspite of the given challenges.
Since 2014-15, Ambuja
Cement Foundation (ACF), has supported farmers interested in installing Solar
Irrigation Pumping devices - converting solar
energy into electricity to run the pumping system, replacing erratic grid
supply and pollution-causing diesel-powered versions. As a result, 193
pumps catering to 193 farmers irrigating 213 acres of land have been in
operation in four locations. These irrigation pumps are non-pollutant and use
solar energy to carry out irrigation on agricultural land.
However, ACF has seen a sudden spurt in demand for installing these solar-powered irrigation devices - with more farmers showing interest and making upfront payments for installing the devices. Farmers provided two reasons for their decision to invest in Solar pumping devices. The major reason was the absence of electrical connection at their farms, and continuing with the diesel pumping devices was costly for them. Some farmers came up with the explanation of massive power cuts that makes it extremely difficult to continue farming.
Whilst the installation cost of this infrastructure is on
the higher side, serving as a disincentive to farmers willing to invest, ACF is
helping farmers tap into a Government Programme to subsidise the initial
investments - prompting some farmers to fund the rest. Ambuja Cement Foundation
has also come forward with a financial support package to provide more
incentives and further subsidize the investment cost. The share of the
investments made by the three partners- Government, Farmers and ACF is shown below.
Insights from Farmers
Adopting Solar Pump for Irrigation
Farmers have reported a number of benefits from the
installation of solar pumps, which provides further incentive for other farmers
to follow suit.
1. Expansion of Area under Irrigation - Agricultural intensity has increased from 1.7 to 2.32. All of this has been possible as farmers grow crops almost the entire year round. The growth is about 62%. Besides this, the data shows that solar irrigation supports 58% of the total land under irrigation. The remaining area under irrigation receives irrigation from electricity and diesel pumping devices.
2. Higher
Cropping Diversity - Farmers, after installing the Solar systems, have made
significant diversification regarding the crops they grow now. Many farmers
have moved away from producing a single crop to growing multiple crops during
different seasons. It adds to their nutritional diversity and also diversifies
their agricultural portfolio. Diversification also helps in reducing livelihood
risks.
Table: Crop Diversity (% of Farmers)
|
Number of Crops |
||||
Season |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Khariff |
37.9 |
34.5 |
17.2 |
3.4 |
6.9 |
Rabi |
34.5 |
48.3 |
17.2 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Summer |
41.4 |
10.3 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
3. Other Benefits
·
Investments in undertaking agricultural operations
have seen a significant reduction.
·
Expansion of area under agriculture operation
during Rabi and Summer Months.
·
Cost savings through the reduced engagement of labor
to undertake irrigation.
·
Increased water productivity
·
Increased yield
·
Good sleep at night.
·
No associated risks of electrocution.
·
User Friendly: Women and Children can also
operate the system with ease.
·
No cost of maintenance except occasional
cleaning of the solar panels.
Whilst these solar pumps are helping farmers access more reliable
power for accessing water, they are not without their limitations. One limitation is the time taken for
installation. Government procedures are often lengthy and hence time-consuming.
For example, farmers mentioned that it took six months to almost a year to
complete the installation.
Additionally, the installed solar systems can irrigate lands
in a limited area, and irrigation is only possible on sunny days. To tackle
this, those farmers with larger parcels of agricultural land had been using
other energy-run pumping devices to supplement their solar pumps. Also, farmers
use different energy sources to irrigate during peak periods. These peak
periods are during Rabi and summer seasons. Almost 2/3rd of the farmers had
diesel / electrical pumping units alongside the solar pumps to irrigate the
land.
Despite this, Solar Pumps are in
increased demand by farmers. Starting in
Chirawa Rajasthan in 2014-15, the programme expanded to three other locations,
namely Bhatapara, Raigadh and Dadri from 2015-16 onwards. Today, the highest
concentration of the solar pumps are at Chirawa (150), followed by Bhatapara
(28), Raigadh (10) and Dadri (5).
Nabarun Sen Gupta is involved in working on rural
development issues for almost around two and half decades. He specializes in
supporting organizations / agencies involved with various kinds of
developmental efforts focusing on livelihoods. He also is a prolific trainer on
Gender and poverty perspectives around Rural Livelihoods. He has worked with
grassroots agencies and also with corporate social responsibilities and with
research and academic institutions. Apart from his exposure to development work
in India, he had been associated with establishing a Virtual Livelihood School
in East Africa along with partners of Ford Foundation. Nabarun is also involved
as National Resource Person (NRP) for rolling out a recently launched programme
of the central government on Sustainable agriculture and Livestock. He provides
his services to the NRLM and also to a few State Rural Livelihood
Missions.
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