Meet on Enabling Just Energy Transitions

A meet titled "Energizing Agriculture and Enabling Just Energy Transitions in South Asia Regional Forum" concluded at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) recently. The event was part of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)’s project titled Solar Irrigation for Agricultural Resilience in South Asia (SoLAR), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The forum was organized as a two-day conference, on February 6th and 7th, comprising plenary and parallel sessions in five thematic areas---These included Solarizing Smallholder Irrigation: Policy landscape and empirical evidence of the impact of solar irrigation pumps (SIPs) on farmers' incomes and livelihoods, Conserving Groundwater Through Solar Irrigation: Empirical evidence and future projections, Connecting Off-Grid to the Grid: Pilots and lessons from grid-connected solar irrigation projects, Renewable energy in agricultural value chains: Institutional models, policies, and case studies on livelihoods and impacts and Making energy transitions inclusive and equitable: Is renewable energy transition in South Asia GESI (gender, equity, and social inclusiveness) compatible?

The forum witnessed participation from over 170+ regional researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the RE sector, of which 129 participated in person and the rest joined virtually. There were participants from 16 countries, prominently from Bangladesh, Nepal, UAE, Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In all, there were 14 technical sessions spread over the first two days and a field visit to the Nityanand SKY feeder in Ahmedabad district where all the participants got a chance to interact with the farmers.

The meet was co-organized by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IIT-Gandhinagar), Ahmedabad University, Global Centre for Environment and Energy, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), World Resources Institute (WRI), India, International Solar Alliance (ISA), India, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).