Report - January 2026
Evaluating the Adaptation Benefits of Smallholder Solar Irrigation Systems in Kenya
Smallholder agriculture underpins livelihoods in Kenya, with more than 70% of the rural population relying on farming as their primary source of income. Most of these farmers rely on rainfed production in an environment marked by rising temperatures, increasingly variable rainfall, and frequent economic and climate shocks. Research led by Duke University and the University of Nairobi evaluated the SunCulture model— a Kenyan social enterprise providing small-scale solar irrigation systems bundled with financing and support services. The results provide encouraging short-term evidence that access to SunCulture’s solar-powered irrigation systems is associated with meaningful, though complex, improvements in household welfare and adaptive capacity among smallholder farmers in Kenya. While impacts on direct economic indicators such as total income or agricultural output remain limited or statistically insignificant, households experienced a set of changes that are indicative of adjustments toward improved agricultural management, cropping and labor allocation decisions, spending, and risk management behaviors. Longer-term evaluation work could provide more insights on the full development value of the SunCulture model.