Catalysing Competitive Irrigation Service Markets in North Bihar: The Case of Chakhaji Solar Irrigation Service Market
Catalysing Competitive Irrigation Service Markets in North Bihar: The Case of Chakhaji Solar Irrigation Service Market
Authors : Neha Durga and Gyan Prakash Rai
Competitive Irrigation Service Markets (ISMs) have bypassed Bihar due to lack of affordable electricity. Even though past and present governments promised affordable electricity for irrigation, it seems a distant dream given that the state is still struggling to provide reliable electricity to even the domestic sector. In the wake of climate change, lack of affordable irrigation increases the risk associated with agriculture as a livelihood and makes resource poor farmers even more vulnerable to its impacts. Solar pumps if promoted by catalysing competitive irrigation service markets can not only generate climate proof income for the Solar Irrigation Service Providers (SISP) but can have large distributive benefits for the water buyers. The current case presents one such Solar Irrigation Service Market (SISM) catalysed by supporting five solar entrepreneurs in Chakhaji village and discusses its relevance in the present times and its contribution to agriculture growth of the village
Despite having deep and under-developed aquifers, the eastern region of India, comprising
of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam has not been able to utilize the
irrigation potential and yield benefits of the same, primarily because of lack of affordable
and reliable irrigation options (Shah 2009).
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