Innovation based on decentralized renewable energy can help tackle crucial technical challenges faced by family and small-scale farmers worldwide. Decentralized renewable energy enables the supply of energy directly where it is needed and deploys locally available energy resources. For these innovations the focus shifts from solely supplying energy to its application for the function required; e.g. pumping water, treating organic residues or processing produce.

In this WISIONS webinar we will learn how energy practitioners are advancing innovations based on renewable energy to improve water availability for family and small-scale farmers. While the general idea is simple (local energy supply enables water pumping, which in turn facilitates/improves irrigation options), a number of aspects should be considered: 

• What strategies ensure that small-scale farmers can access the relevant technology, services and maintenance? 
• How can improved water supply effectively translate into improved livelihoods and increased revenues? 
• What options ensure that increasing the pumping capacity does not lead to greater depletion of water resources? 

With our speakers we will explore these and other crucial aspects for advancing renewable energy-based irrigation that effectively supports farming families’ livelihoods.

Lucie Pia Pluschke, GIZ Germany, Powering Agriculture

Pooja Sharma, Practical Action Nepal 

Jorge Ayarza, MinVayu and Wind Empowerment (tbc)

Willington Ortiz/Carmen Dienst, WISIONS, Wuppertal Institute

Moderator:

Jessica Rivas, WindAid Institute and Wind Empowerment

Register now and mark the date and time on your calendar: 15:00 CET on 3rd July 2019! 

All in all, there have been eight orientation and demonstration programs on SWP technology for small farmers between February and March 2019. With mostly appreciated support by the Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood Programme the programs could take place from 23-26 February 2019 and 26-29 March 2019. 

The main objective was to promote SWP systems and raise awareness to rural farmers and showcasing the practical as well as affordable nature of the technology. With an impressing number of 406 participants consisting of farmers and representatives of two eight cooperatives, farmers affiliated to a local development bank, municipality representatives, SWP supplier representatives and Winrock staff. 

The programs had the following agenda: 

1.    Opening Session:Introduction to the topic by representatives of Nepal Agricultural Co-operative Central Federation Ltd. (NACCFL) and Winrock. 

2.    Orientation Session:Sharing by Winrock of the Knowledge Exchange Project and explaining the technology with all its characteristics and financial analysis. The promotion of SWP systems and showing the advantages against conventional electric and diesel pumps was the main goal of the session in order to encourage farmers implementing the technology and increasing their productivity. Audio-visual materials were presented to the farmers as well and questions raised concerning governmental subsidies as well as from technical perspectives have been answered. 

3.  Demonstration Session: Four different SWP products were presented in a field visit to the participants and demonstrated in operation at a near river. Technicians and Engineers explained the product and answered questions from the participants about the working principle, application and business model for installing SWP systems. 

Further, the implementation of several networks among municipalities, Small Farmer Agricultural Cooperative Limited (SFACL), farmers and SWP suppliers was on account of Winrocks effort. Multiple numbers of network events took place between November 2018 and March 2019, where each stated stakeholder had the opportunity to learn from each other, exchanging contacts and knowledge on SWP technology, with prospect on implementation and its benefits. 

Find out more about the project here: Exchange: Knowledge Exchange to Make Solar Water Pumping (SWP) Systems Affordable for Small Farmers (SEPS16)

This webinar – the 2^nd in a series of four webinars – will feature banks and financing specialists from South and Southeast Asia who have enabled local banks and local developers in the region to make financing available for small-scale hydro mini-grids. Using specific examples, speakers will present:

• Why and how local banks are critical to replication of sustainable hydro mini-grids
• Incentives for local banks in lending to hydro mini-grids and local developers
• How local banks can build internal capacity to lend to mini-grids
• How local developers can develop the necessary skills to access local bank financing
• How banking regulatory challenges can be overcome
• Roles of government and donors help to accelerate the process of enabling local bank financing.

For more thematic background, please refer here.

Speaker: 

DINESH DULAL - Department Head of Energy and Development Organization Department at NMB Bank Ltd. Kathmandu, Nepal

KAPILA SUBASINGHE - Vice President (Specialized Project Lending)/Head of Consulting, DFCC Bank

MARGARITA MANZO - Energy Finance Specialist 

Moderator: 

RANISHA BASNET

Thematic Discussant

DIPTI VAGHELA - Manager Hydro Empowerment Network (HPNET)