Senegal farmers seek solar energy to replace costly diesel pumps

In the Walo region of Senegal, particularly along the banks of the Niassiwu marigot, farmers are facing high operational costs due to a heavy reliance on diesel and gasoline-powered water pumps. Despite the region's abundant sunlight, the transition to solar-powered irrigation remains slow, primarily due to the high initial cost of solar installations.

Local producers, such as Iba Ngom in the Trois Marigots area, report consuming between 5 and 10 liters of diesel daily to maintain drip irrigation for crops like watermelon, tomato, peanut, and okra. Farmers expressed a strong interest in adopting solar technology to reduce these expenses and modernize their agricultural practices, noting that a shift to solar energy would be a significant economic relief.