Scaling Climate-Resilient Irrigation: Partnership Alignment, Coordinated Pathways, and Learning in Nigeria

The Scaling Climate-Resilient Irrigation Workshop, held in Abuja on March 24, 2026, provided a strategic pathway to address Nigeria’s irrigation deficit and strengthen year-round agricultural production. Under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) Program, IWMI and IFPRI presented a three-year roadmap for 2026–2028 to accelerate the adoption of solar-based irrigation solutions, particularly through farmer-led irrigation development. The program targets 120,000–150,000 smallholder farmers across priority northern states, marking a shift from isolated pilot interventions to coordinated, large-scale deployment.

A central message from a workshop on Scaling Resilient Irrigation in Nigeria was that scaling solar irrigation requires more than technology alone; it depends on an integrated ecosystem that connects farmers, finance, technology providers, policymakers, and institutions. Stakeholders identified weak institutional coordination as a major constraint, despite the availability of relevant technologies, programs, and financing opportunities. Financial institutions emphasized that organizing farmers into clusters and cooperatives is essential for reducing investment risk and improving access to affordable finance. Drawing on lessons from India’s large-scale solar irrigation experience, participants advocated a coordinated demand–finance–technology–linkage approach, supported by smart subsidies, tariff waivers, or affordable credit. The workshop concluded with commitments to strengthen coordination, digital extension services, localized financing models, and partnerships to establish a sustainable national system for climate-resilient irrigation.