A significant challenge in African agriculture is the scarcity of irrigation. Water, alongside sunlight, is fundamental for crop growth; thus, insufficient irrigation can lead to reduced yields. Moreover, farmers without irrigation are highly susceptible to drought, resulting in severe crop losses.
Africa significantly lags behind other regions regarding irrigation access. According to a 2018 report by the Malabo Montpellier Panel of agricultural experts, only 6% of cultivated land in Africa is irrigated, contrasting with 14% in Latin America and 37% in Asia.
Irrigation is mainly concentrated in the northern part of the continent, where Egyptian farmers have historically relied on Nile irrigation for millennia. Additionally, a few highly productive regions, such as South Africa’s Western Cape, have irrigation systems in place.
Relying on rainfed agriculture poses an increasing challenge amid climate change. Longer and more frequent droughts exacerbate food insecurity, with over 50 million people in the Horn of Africa currently facing this issue due to a drought that commenced in 2020.
Fortunately, various solutions are becoming increasingly accessible, notably solar-powered pumps. The current challenge lies in expanding the adoption of these technologies while ensuring fair distribution of finite water resources among farmers and other water users.
Smallholder farms favor drip irrigation
Various methods exist for irrigation provision. Large-scale infrastructure projects, like the Gezira Scheme in Sudan, redirect water through extensive networks of canals and ditches, originally intended to support commercial cotton cultivation during British colonial rule.
However, since the majority of agricultural land in sub-Saharan Africa is cultivated by smallholders, smaller-scale solutions are more practical.
“Drip irrigation, which targets crop watering while minimizing weed growth, is particularly well-suited for small African farms,” notes Prosper Chikomo, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur and founder of the irrigation startup Prosper on Farms. “I advocate for low-tech solutions,” he emphasizes.
Many African farming operations currently rely on diesel-powered pumps for irrigation, drawing water from boreholes, rivers, or lakes. However, these pumps are both highly polluting and costly to operate, particularly in countries where diesel prices have risen sharply in recent years.
An emerging alternative is the use of solar-powered pumps. Giacomo Falchetta, a research scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, sees significant potential for the widespread adoption of solar irrigation across Africa. Especially in countries like Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana, where governments actively promote renewable energy, Falchetta believes there are promising prospects for the extensive adoption of solar irrigation.
While the upfront cost of solar-powered pumps remains slightly higher than diesel alternatives, their operational costs are significantly lower. “The savings are substantial,” he notes, estimating that smallholders could save hundreds of dollars annually by switching to solar-powered pumps.
According to Falchetta, the challenge lies in developing business models that enable users to spread the installation costs of solar irrigation. Similar to rooftop solar systems, which are increasingly utilized for electricity generation by households and businesses throughout the continent, numerous companies are now emerging with pay-as-you-go or leasing models.
SunCulture, a company that specializes in solar-powered irrigation, recently secured a $12 million equity investment from InfraCo Africa, a division of the donor-funded Private Infrastructure Development Group, as part of its Series B fundraising round. SunCulture aims to expand solar irrigation services to hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers by 2030. In addition to irrigation solutions, the company offers tech-based services such as weather forecasting and crop selection advice to its users.
Karoney Jerotich, an investment manager at InfraCo Africa, believes that solar-powered irrigation has the potential to revolutionize farming practices in regions where grid electricity is unreliable. However, she acknowledges that affordability remains a significant challenge.
SunCulture aims to tackle this challenge by providing “pay-as-you-grow” options, enabling farmers to pay for pumps through monthly installments. However, Jerotich highlights that this approach poses significant credit risks for the company. Consequently, SunCulture primarily relies on concessional capital from InfraCo and other sources as it endeavors to expand its operations.
Chikomo underscores the substantial obstacles that African irrigation startups encounter in fundraising. He criticizes the disparity between the ease with which Silicon Valley firms secure funding for unconventional ideas and the difficulty faced by more impactful African businesses in accessing capital.
“Most Western investors prioritize fintech over African food security when investing in African startups,” he observes.
Moreover, he doubts the suitability of business models relying on smallholders assuming debt in rural African settings. In contrast, Chikomo’s venture, Prosper on Farms, offers to provide free irrigation systems to farmers. Ownership of the system is transferred to the farmer upon meeting specified production targets over a defined period.
Extending irrigation vital for rural income, but overuse risks water shortage
Extending irrigation throughout sub-Saharan Africa is undeniably crucial for boosting rural incomes. However, there’s a concern that efforts to expand access to irrigation might be overly successful. Especially in water-stressed regions, increased water usage on farms could result in reduced availability of water for hydropower generation or municipal water users.
Falchetta cautions against this potential “tragedy of the commons,” citing instances in parts of India where rapid expansion of irrigation has led to similar challenges. He stresses the necessity of robust water governance, particularly in managing water sources that span national boundaries.
Farmers in South Africa’s Western Cape have firsthand experience with water competition. During the severe 2018 drought, the portion of water allocated to agriculture had to be reduced, as Cape Town faced the looming threat of “Day Zero,” when municipal water supplies would be exhausted.
Partly aiming to promote improved water management, the Western Cape government has been offering free access to an online remote sensing tool named FruitLook since 2011. This tool grants users access to high-resolution satellite images of their farms weekly. These satellites detect evapotranspiration rates and gauge plant water use efficiency. Farmers utilize this data to evaluate whether their irrigation systems are being underutilized or overutilized.
Dianca Yssel, the commercial head for FruitLook at the local implementation partner Blue North Sustainability, emphasizes the objective of conserving water while maintaining or increasing crop yields. She explains that the additional layer of information aids farmers in planning their irrigation practices more efficiently.
Various methods are being implemented globally to enhance irrigation systems and minimize water wastage, often leveraging advanced technologies like soil moisture sensors for automated watering adjustments.
However, in much of Africa, the immediate priority remains making some form of irrigation accessible to smallholder farmers. Addressing the potential issues arising from improved farm irrigation is a challenge that still lies ahead for most parts of the continent.
“Irrigation is indispensable for agricultural success,” emphasizes Chikomo. “Consider Israel, situated in a desert, yet it stands as a global leader in food exports. Increasing access to irrigation is essential for addressing food and economic challenges across Africa.”