Recto: Marcos admin eyes 10,000 solar irrigation sites by 2030

MANILA, Philippines — The government plans to expand solar-powered irrigation systems to 10,000 sites nationwide by 2030, more than doubling the existing network as it seeks to reduce farmers’ irrigation costs and make agriculture more resilient to climate change, Malacañang said.

In a statement on Sunday, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the expansion would be part of the Solar-Powered Pump Irrigation Program (SPIP), administered by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

“The president’s directive is to ensure that farmers have reliable irrigation without their income being eaten up by irrigation costs,” Recto said.

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Under NIA’s Vision 2030 roadmap, the government aims to expand the network to 10,000 sites, benefiting two million farmers and irrigating an additional 100,000 hectares of agricultural land.

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NIA currently operates 4,036 SPIP sites across 43 provinces in all 17 regions: 2,147 in Luzon, 1,102 in the Visayas and 787 in Mindanao.

Recto said the expansion of solar-powered irrigation would form part of the Marcos administration’s long-term contribution to local agriculture.

The government also aims to shift from traditional irrigation to “smart, digital and climate-resilient water management.”

“The president’s goal is to lower our farmers’ costs, increase their yields, and ensure that our farms have sufficient water even as we face climate change,” Recto said.

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The solar-powered irrigation systems use renewable energy to operate water pumps, reducing farmers’ dependence on diesel and their exposure to fuel price fluctuations.

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The government said solar-powered systems have lower operating and maintenance costs than diesel-powered pumps.

“This is a long-term investment in food security. Every peso farmers save on diesel can instead be used for seeds, fertilizer, equipment and other needs that directly improve their productivity and income,” Recto said.

NIA data show that existing solar-powered irrigation systems have maintained high operational availability and can provide six to eight hours of irrigation daily.

It cited the example of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, where 12 solar-powered irrigation units serving 340 hectares have helped reduce annual irrigation expenses and allowed farmers to sustain up to three cropping cycles a year.

READ: Solar-powered irrigation brings relief to Leyte farmers amid challenges

The systems are also being positioned as a way to make farms more resilient to extreme weather and power disruptions.

NIA also cited solar-powered irrigation facilities in Pangasinan that continued operating during the prolonged power outage caused by Typhoon “Egay” in 2023, allowing farmers to irrigate their crops without relying on the electricity grid or additional fuel.

The government is also seeking to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into irrigation management.

Recto said NIA is developing an AI-based monitoring system that will use real-time data on water availability, soil conditions and irrigation requirements to improve water delivery and reduce wastage.

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In Bukidnon, AI-assisted irrigation scheduling has shown potential to increase rice production by using satellite data and soil-moisture monitoring to determine when and how much water farms need. /mcm