12 April 2018, Rome - Solar powered irrigation systems are now an affordable and climate-friendly technology for both large and small-scale farmers in developing countries. But they need to be adequately managed and regulated to avoid the risk of unsustainable water use.

FAO presented a global overview of the benefits and risks of solar-powered irrigation at an international forum in Rome (12-13 April) hosted in partnership with Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development (PAEGC), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). Solar powered irrigations systems indicate the potential to reduce GHG emissions per unit of energy used for water pumping by more than 95 percent compared to alternatives fuelled by diesel or fossil-fuel driven electricity grids, according to FAO’s report.