National Solar Energy Federation of India
At a Glance
Industry
Nonprofit
Project Types
Engagement and Behavior Change, Food and Agriculture
Year
2023
Location
New Delhi
Summary
Shivya Nath worked with the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) to help build a multi-stakeholder platform for agriphotovoltaics (agriPV) in India, and assess agriPV’s socio-economic impact on female farmers.
Goals
NSEFI, a public trust that leads policy advocacy for solar energy stakeholders in India, enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Shivya Nath, to help build an Agri-PV Alliance with stakeholders across the agriPV ecosystem in India. In addition, NSEFI asked Shivya to analyze how agriPV policies and business models could be made inclusive of marginalized communities, specifically female farmers in India, who constitute over 42% of India’s agricultural workers but have ownership of less than 2% of the country’s farmlands.
Solutions
Shivya focused her efforts on involving diverse stakeholders in the Agri-PV Alliance, including Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), women-led Self Help Groups (SHGs), solar developers, research and academia from across the country. These efforts culminated in a Stakeholder Roundtable at the Clean Energy Ministerial 2023, where stakeholders came together to share their perspectives on the potential and challenges of agriPV in India.
In order to assess the potential socio-economic impact of agriPV on female farmers, Shivya analyzed past case studies at the intersection of solar and agriculture, with a focus on the deployment of solar pumps in India.
She also conducted field research among female farmers in Himachal Pradesh, to gather key insights on the ground. This research was documented in a white paper on “The Socio-Economic Impact of Agriphotovoltaics on Women Farmers in India,” designed to support policymakers, state agencies, solar developers, FPOs and other stakeholders in the agriPV ecosystem, in the development of socially inclusive and economically beneficial frameworks to scale agriPV in India.
Potential Impact
By bringing together diverse perspectives from stakeholders across India’s agriPV ecosystem, comprehensive policies can be designed to ensure successful and scalable deployment of agriPV in India. The insights and recommendations presented in the white paper can be used to inform further research, and design policies and business models that increase socio-economic benefits for female farmers.