Determinants of Solar-Powered Irrigation System Adoption Among Rice Farmers in Hafizabad, Pakistan
Adoption of Solar Irrigation in Hafizabad
Keywords:
Solar energy, irrigation, technology adoption, rice growers, Hafizabad, Pakistan, renewable agriculture.Abstract
The growing energy crisis and worsening water scarcity in Pakistan have intensified the need for renewable energy solutions in agriculture. Among these, solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS) have emerged as a sustainable and economically viable alternative to conventional irrigation methods, particularly in regions cultivating water-intensive crops such as rice. This study examines the socio-economic, technical, institutional, and perceptual factors influencing the adoption of SPIS among rice growers in the Hafizabad District of Punjab, Pakistan.
Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 200 randomly selected rice farmers. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and binary logistic regression were employed to determine the relationship between farmer characteristics and the likelihood of adopting SPIS. The results revealed that education level, farm income, landholding size, access to credit, awareness, perceived economic benefits, and extension contact significantly affected adoption decisions. However, widespread diffusion of SPIS remains constrained by high initial investment costs, inadequate institutional support, and limited policy incentives.
The findings underscore the need for targeted policy interventions, including financial subsidies or credit facilities, technical training, awareness programs, and stronger institutional frameworks to accelerate the adoption of SPIS. Promoting such renewable technologies can enhance energy security, reduce production costs, and foster sustainable agricultural growth in Pakistan.
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Data Availability Statement
The data used in this study were collected directly by the author through field surveys. Due to privacy and confidentiality considerations of the respondents, the data are not publicly available but can be provided by the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in AgriPaT are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
