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IWMI and SDC have launched SoLAR Phase II to expand climate-resilient solar irrigation across India, Bangladesh, Kenya and Ethiopia.
The programme builds on success of Phase I.
It aims to ensure sustainable, equitable access to solar-powered agriculture.
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), an international research-for-development organisation, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) launched SoLAR Phase II November 28, 2025. It is an expanded multi-country programme aimed at accelerating socially inclusive and climate-resilient solar energy adoption in agriculture across India, Bangladesh, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Phase II builds directly on the outcomes of SoLAR Phase I (2019-2024), which generated evidence on the technical, economic and environmental performance of both grid-connected and off-grid solar irrigation pumps (SIP).
Solar energy is transforming agriculture in developing countries, including India, by providing affordable, reliable power for irrigation and other needs, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enabling new models like agrivoltaics. India is actively promoting solarisation through initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme, which supports solar pumps and plants, while international projects aim to scale these solutions across South Asia and Africa.
Studies under Gujarat’s Suryashakti Kisan Yojana found that grid-connected SIPs did not increase groundwater extraction, while delivering significant climate benefits. It resulted in about 12.3 tCO2 offset per farmer per year, more than double that of off-grid systems. IWMI also trained more than 2,000 farmers, enabling a 23 per cent rise in net energy evacuation and an average additional income of Rs 14,000 per farmer.
In Madhya Pradesh, women-led solar service enterprises piloted through self-help groups improved irrigation access, supported a shift to higher-value crops and raised household earnings — demonstrating the potential of gender-inclusive models.
Off-grid SIP pilots also reduced diesel dependence and strengthened livelihoods. Insights from these interventions have been shared with the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and are expected to inform the design of PM-KUSUM 2.0 in 2027.
As of July 2025, the PM-KUSUM scheme benefitted a total of 1,439,617 farmers, as per official figures.
The expanded programme will strengthen the enabling ecosystem for solar energy for agriculture through evidence-based policy design, innovative financing, stronger institutional capacities and the establishment of living labs to support context-specific solutions.
SolaReady, a spatial decision-support platform designed to help governments and practitioners plan solar irrigation interventions, was also launched. The dashboard maps solar irrigation opportunities aligned with climate adaptation, mitigation and groundwater sustainability.
Maya Tissafi, ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, said the initiative reflects a partnership “powered not by geography but by shared purpose”. She emphasised that solar energy must become “a source of assurance, opportunity and resilience for rural communities”, particularly women and marginal farmers.
Alok Sikka, IWMI country representative for India and Bangladesh, said Phase II reinforces IWMI’s commitment to “sustainable, science-based solutions that work for farmers, especially women and marginalized communities”, adding that the expansion into East Africa shows the global relevance of the water-energy-food nexus.
“Solar in agriculture supports both adaptation for the present and mitigation for the future,” said Ramesh Chand, member, NITI Aayog.
SoLAR Phase II now enters a multi-year implementation stage aimed at embedding solar-powered irrigation in national climate resilience strategies, while ensuring groundwater sustainability and equitable access for farmers across Asia and Africa.