International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) have linked Kano irrigation farmers to access financial support to acquire solar-based irrigation technology aimed at boosting food production.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the institutes unveiled the intervention on Wednesday during a two-day Demand-Supply linkage workshop and field demonstrations for solar-based irrigation systems (SBIS) in Kano.

The IWMI Senior Regional Researcher, Oke Adebayo, said the intervention seeks to bridge the gap between farmers, equipment suppliers and financial institutions to make modern irrigation technologies more accessible.

Adebayo said the programme, implemented across Kano, Jigawa and Gombe states, is designed to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, limited access to finance for irrigation equipment.

He said the engagement was to unlock or unbundle whatever challenges surround the acquisition of irrigation equipment and scale irrigation innovations across the country.

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“For some time now, our stakeholders and we in Nigeria have been working towards scaling solar irrigation solutions.

“As we may know, the world today is confronted with climate change, and we are not an exception. We have challenges with the cost of fuel for pumping for irrigation and even for home use and all that.

“And when you interact with farmers, you see that that’s quite a challenge for them when it comes to their irrigation practices, dry season, agriculture and all that.”

According to him, farmers can take advantage of solar irrigation technologies and solutions to improve their dry season agriculture, to cut down on the cost of pumping and to embrace energy-friendly innovations for crop production.

Also speaking, the IFPRI Country Director, Dr Oliver Kirui said they brought together the farmers, suppliers, financial institutions, government agencies, and technical partners because each of the actors are essential to making solar irrigation work at scale.

“Solar irrigation technologies already exist, and our research shows that farmers see their value. The challenge is ensuring that demand and supply meet in a way that makes adoption feasible, affordable, and sustainable.

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“This workshop therefore aims to move beyond research findings and create practical connections. We have brought together farmers, suppliers, financial institutions, government agencies, and technical partners because each of these actors is essential to making solar irrigation work at scale,” Kirui said.

The President, Groundnut Association, Sadisu Ibrahim, commended the organisers, describing the intervention as that which shows there is a future for the small scale farmers.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of a foremost agro- equipment conglomerate, Farm World Technologies Limited, Chief Don Ekesiobl and other irrigation suppliers provided criteria the farmers needed to meet to acquire the equipment.

The representatives of the financial institutions also expressed willingness to make financial solutions available.

The workshop attracted farmers, agricultural experts, researchers, academia and government officials drawn from across the country.