Research Article // Financial feasibility of developing solar irrigation in Mali

By Hua Xie and Claudia Ringler. This study finds that solar-powered groundwater irrigation is a financially viable energy solution across most regions in southern Mali. However, the high initial investment cost of solar pumps will require innovative financing tools, such as asset-based finance, to increase smallholder farmers’ access to them. Moreover, the cost-effectiveness of solar pumps declines when diesel prices decline, enhancing the attractiveness of diesel pumps, which also have a lower initial capital outlay.