Ethiopia’s Berbere woreda, located at the foot of the Bale Mountains in the Oromia region, is surrounded by perennial rivers, making it ideal for agriculture. Despite this natural advantage, farmers struggled for years to access water due to limited electricity and the high costs or unavailability of petrol and diesel, making irrigation impossible. As a result, households relied on unreliable rainfall, often producing insufficient crops to feed their families or generate income.
A local NGO initially attempted to address the issue by providing petrol-powered pumps along with training and seeds. While this allowed farmers to grow beyond the rainy season, the solution proved unsustainable. High fuel costs, limited availability, and frequent maintenance issues forced many farmers back into subsistence farming.
In 2024, WRI and DanChurchAid conducted a feasibility study that identified solar-powered irrigation as a sustainable alternative. With funding from the IKEA Foundation, they installed two solar pumps in Gebe Keku and Gora Hido, providing 2.75 kW capacity each to irrigate 14 hectares and support 48 households. Farmers received training to operate and maintain the systems, enabling year-round water access and resilience to drought.
The solar pumps transformed local agriculture, allowing multiple crop cycles annually and the cultivation of high-value crops such as onions, tomatoes, chili, and cabbage. During the first production season in 2025, households earned significantly more than from traditional staple crops, with income from onions alone averaging US$709 per household, compared with just US$207 annually from maize and teff previously. The additional earnings allowed farmers to buy essential goods, reinvest in crop production, and improve household assets and education for their children.
Although solar pumps have a higher upfront cost than petrol pumps, their 20-year lifespan, minimal maintenance, and lack of fuel expenses make them far more cost-effective in the long term. With a six- to eight-year payback period, solar irrigation is both economically and environmentally sustainable, offering a model for long-term livelihood improvement.
The pilot’s success has generated strong interest from neighboring kebeles, with 78% of farmers expressing interest in adopting solar technology. Expansion could potentially irrigate up to 142 hectares per kebele, supporting hundreds of farmers directly and benefiting up to 1,500 people including extended households. Scaling the program will require collaboration across government institutions, development partners, the private sector, and financial institutions, supported by innovative financing mechanisms and local capacity development.
By integrating solar-powered irrigation with cooperative business models, access to credit, and ongoing support from local authorities, the project aligns with Ethiopia’s national priorities for irrigation expansion, climate-smart agriculture, and rural development. A memorandum of understanding between the Berbere Woreda Bureau of Agriculture, DanChurchAid, and farmer communities formalizes long-term collaboration, ensuring sustainability. With reliable water access and renewable energy, Berbere’s farmers are now positioned to expand production, increase incomes, and improve their families’ futures.
