This report assesses the potential of solar photovoltaic (PV) irrigation for smallholder agriculture in Ghana, using elements of business planning and business models with a suitability mapping approach. These approaches take into account the economic as well as environmental sustainability of expanding such technology.

Smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) number around 33 million, represent 80% of all farms in the region, and contribute up to 90% of food production in some SSA countries (Wiggins and Keats, 2013). Smallholder farmers face multiple challenges.

This paper reviews the evidence available on the provision of financing for African smallholder farmers to purchase irrigation equipment such as pumps, pipes and drip irrigation systems. It sets the scene by first reviewing the literature on experiences with providing microcredit and other microfinance services as a poverty reduction strategy.

Research on home gardens in Africa must rewind and refocus on the grassroots, according to a new report published by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). It explores the available knowledge and lessons learned from past experiences in promoting home gardens in Africa, with a special emphasis on water management.

Poverty continues to be a major concern in Asia despite the region’s high economic growth and rapid rural transformation. Most of the poor live in areas where natural resource conditions are suboptimal and water-related constraints are the root cause of low production and increasing vulnerability to natural disasters and climate variability.