Solar lift irrigation system helps farmers switch to multicropping

Till 2021, Soren, a resident of Dhiridaag village in Mayapur panchayat of Peterwar block in Jharkhand, had been growing maize and paddy, depending on the monsoon rain, and the harvest was enough only to feed his family.

Farmers in Jharkhand are mostly engaged in monocropping due to lack of irrigation facilities and their dependence on monsoon. This changed in a few blocks of Bokaro last year when the district administration, led by Deputy Commissioner Kuldeep Chaudhary, promoted the installation of ‘solar lift irrigation system’ for achieving year-round cultivation through renewable energy.

“If everything goes well, like demand from the market etc., we make a profit of Rs 40,000-45,000 per year. Plus, we harvest paddy for our consumption. Our situation has improved considerably, though a lot more can be done. There is a consensus among villagers that distress migration has reduced by 50 per cent as more and more families are getting involved in this (multicropping),” said Soren.

He said one of the bottlenecks they faced earlier was the drying up of water sources during June and July months, making farming almost impossible.

According to the district administration, the solar lift irrigation system has helped more than 800 families in three blocks of Bokaro — Jaridih, Kasmar and Petarbar — to improve their living condition. A door-to-door survey was conducted to understand the need and feasibility of the scheme after which the matter was discussed in the gram sabhas.

Deputy Commissioner Chaudhary said, “This initiative has benefitted 820 marginal farmers increase their annual income by increasing their crop cover by 59%. A total of 36 Solar User Groups (villages using solar-powered panels) were formed for each individual unit. On an average, 15 acres of irrigated land available for round-the-year cropping was developed (per solar unit). This resulted in the inclusion of approximately 540 acres of irrigated land. While observing the social aspects, 491 families out of 820 belonging to SC/ST communities could access sustainable technologies in farming leading to an annual average income of Rs 47,748 per farmer.”

The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards 2023

Chaudhary is among the 19 winners of The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards for 2020 and 2021. The biennial awards celebrate the finest work done by district magistrates, women and men considered the foot soldiers of governance as they script changes that touch the lives of countless people across the country.

The Bokaro district administration said in the past it was observed that ‘fuel-based lift irrigation systems’ were being installed in many villages, which did not benefit farmers as desired due to its price volatility. This is when the low-cost, solar-based lift irrigation system was adopted as a viable and sustainable solution to address the issue of irrigation.