The Sustainable Agriculture Transition: How to make the most of transformative technology

The document identifies off-grid renewable energy, batteries, and ICT as transformative technologies capable of increasing agricultural productivity and sustainability. It focuses on solar-powered irrigation, noting that while falling costs of solar PV and lithium-ion batteries make these systems more accessible, high upfront costs remain a barrier. The brief warns of risks such as groundwater over-extraction and price depression due to increased yields, and provides eight policy recommendations for governments and financial institutions to ensure an inclusive and sustainable transition.

• Three specific technologies are identified as having the potential to transform agriculture by displacing established technologies or creating new industries: off-grid renewable energy systems, batteries, and information and communications technology (ICT).
• The cost of solar photovoltaics (PV) and lithium-ion batteries has dropped significantly, increasing the viability of off-grid solar-powered irrigation. In the US, solar PV costs fell 88% between 2009 and 2018, and lithium-ion battery storage costs decreased 87% between 2010 and 2019.
• Solar-powered irrigation can significantly improve farm productivity and income. For example, a solar-powered drip-irrigation system used by a women's cooperative in Benin increased production by an average of two tonnes per month and saved each woman up to four hours of daily labour.
• Despite lower long-term operating costs, the high initial capital requirement for solar pumps remains a major barrier, as upfront costs are 5 to 15 times higher than those for diesel equivalents.
• The widespread adoption of solar-powered irrigation carries environmental and economic risks, including the potential for groundwater over-extraction due to a lack of economic incentives to conserve water, and the risk of depressing crop prices if local yields increase too rapidly.
• The document recommends eight policy interventions, including providing education and training for farmers, monitoring sustainability goals, establishing responsible lending regulations to prevent over-indebtedness, and investing in ICT infrastructure.

APA

Murphy, S., & Rose, M. E. (2021). The Sustainable Agriculture Transition: How to make the most of transformative technology. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-03/sustainable-agriculture-transition-transformative-technology-en.pdf

Chicago

Murphy, Sophia, and Mali Eber Rose. The Sustainable Agriculture Transition: How to make the most of transformative technology. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-03/sustainable-agriculture-transition-transformative-technology-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Murphy |first1=Sophia |last2=Rose |first2=Mali Eber |title=The Sustainable Agriculture Transition: How to make the most of transformative technology |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-03/sustainable-agriculture-transition-transformative-technology-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{murphy2021sustainable, author = {Murphy, Sophia and Rose, Mali Eber}, title = {{The Sustainable Agriculture Transition: How to make the most of transformative technology}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-03/sustainable-agriculture-transition-transformative-technology-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }