KATHMANDU – The three-day Global Science-Policy Forum on Socially Inclusive Irrigation Systems is being organised by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and its partners, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), International Solar Alliance (ISA), Alternative Energy Promotion Centre ( AEPC), is hosting a conference at Hotel Himalaya, Kathmandu, from 24 to 26 April as part of a Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)- funded project titled Solar Irrigation for Agricultural Resilience in South Asia (SoLAR—SA).
This forum has brought together around 150 key stakeholders worldwide to discuss South Asia’s growing body of work and evidence on solar applications in agriculture. It particularly brings together essential experiences, insights, and the promotion of south-south collaboration and scaling up of global ambitions around the effective and sustainable use of solar energy in agriculture.
The Global Forum was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Minister Mr Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Ministry of Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation, Nepal. “The pressing challenge of climate change calls for climate mitigation awareness to end our dependence on fossil fuels and move towards clean and renewable energy. There is a need for low-carbon methods like solar irrigation. Also, the 2023 National Policy aims for economic prosperity climate-adaptive irrigation, including solar irrigation,” said the Hon’ble Minister.
“Knowledge must be co-created with local governments and stakeholders to promote inclusivity of solar irrigation projects. This will bridge the gap between science and policy. Women and socio-economically disadvantaged farmers must be at the centre of planning,” said Mr Keshab Kumar Sharma, Secretary of the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat, Nepal.
Dr Manohara Khadka, Country Representative, IWMI Nepal, highlighted the benefits of solar irrigation for women farmers: “Solar irrigation can support women farmers’ climate resilience capacity and must be inclusive and sustainable.”
“Out of the 449 billion cubic metres of the groundwater resource, 242 billion cubic metres are extracted annually, 59% of the resource in India,” stated Dr Sunil Kumar Ambast, Chairman of Central Ground Water Board, Government of India. Hence, progressive interventions are needed to ensure livelihood stability and sustainability.
Her Excellency Dr. Danielle Meuwly, Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal, Embassy of Switzerland, highlighted, “Innovative technology is the solution to the challenges we face. Research to policy should be the aim of the global forum; hence, this south-south knowledge exchange will raise important policy questions.”
“Solarization, in addition to Hydropower development in Pakistan, is of utmost importance to have the capacity to compete with the rest of the world’s economy “, stated Engr. Asghar Ali
Halepoto, Chief, Water Resource Section, Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan, and Ms. Munira Sultana, Chairman, SREDA, Government of Bangladesh, highlighted the importance of Solar Irrigation for South Asia. They say, “Grid-connected Solar Irrigation Pumps ( SIPs) will create an electricity surplus, relieving the Government’s pressure to provide electricity. Solar irrigation is essential for South Asia.”
Dr Darshini Ravindranath, Project Lead-SoLAR, IWMI, stated, “The Needs and preferences of small marginalised and women farmers need to be considered for better project outcomes. This forum will highlight the findings of our work and share south-south collaborative ideas to develop a roadmap for SIP policy and implementation.”
Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, highlighted the importance of strategic interventions and investment inflow to pilot successful initiatives and enhance agricultural productivity. He says, “ICIMOD emphasizes the urgent need for modernizing agriculture and implementing solar water systems to ensure food security in the face of climate change challenges.”
The Global Forum explored various plenary and parallel sessions with presentations and diverse panels under four key thematic areas: groundwater sustainability, adaptation and mitigation, business models of SIPs and scaling up solar irrigation, the role of communities: capacity building and gender, equity and social inclusion, and designing effective and inclusive policies for solar energy transitions.
It presented unique insights on the effectiveness of solar irrigation as a strategy to sustainably manage water, energy, food, and climate (mitigation and adaptation) interlinkages. It highlighted how governments use evidence from the field to develop and deploy ambitious policies and programs on solar irrigation to address nationally determined contributions (NDC) commitments while supporting climate-resilient, gender-equitable, and socially inclusive agrarian livelihoods.
