Operation and maintenance of solar powered lift irrigation system

Organizers: Department of Energy, Royal Government of Bhutan, ICIMOD, Bhutan Ecological Society, IDRC

About the event

Women’s Empowerment through Renewable Energy-Powered Lift Irrigation Systems in Bhutan (WERELIS – Bhutan) project seeks to address these gaps. The project is implemented by ICIMOD in collaboration with Department of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Royal Government of Bhutan along with field implementing partner Bhutan Ecological society. The project is funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

The WERELIS initiative is conducting specialized technical training for women in Bhutan to build expertise in solar-powered irrigation systems. This capacity-building program empowers female technicians and farmers / system operators with hands-on operation and maintenance skills, addressing the gender gap in renewable energy adoption while strengthening climate-resilient agriculture.

Objectives

More than 50% of the women are employed in agriculture, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in technical roles related to modern irrigation systems. The country’s irrigation sector faces a shortage of skilled personnel—particularly women—capable of operating and maintaining technologies like solar-powered lift irrigation system. This gender

gap hinders the adoption, efficiency, and long-term sustainability of modern irrigation solutions.

This one-day specialized training targets women technicians and irrigation system operators, equipping them with essential skills to bridge this gap.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Fundamentals of solar powered lift irrigation system
• Roles and responsibilities of system operators
• Preventive maintenance best practices
• Basic troubleshooting techniques

Background

Agriculture employs 40% of the Bhutanese population, with women comprising more than half of the agricultural workforce. However, the sector’s contribution to GDP has been steadily declining due to a combination of climatic, environmental, and socio-economic challenges, threatening the country’s self-sufficiency in staple crops. Currently, only 20% of cultivable land is irrigated, highlighting a critical gap in agricultural productivity.

Bhutan’s traditional irrigation systems—mainly gravity-fed, open channels—are seasonal and increasingly vulnerable to climate change. The country’s mountainous terrain often necessitates lifting water from sources at a lower elevation, presenting both logistical challenges and opportunities. Bhutan’s abundant fast-flowing rivers present significant potential for renewable energy (RE)-powered solutions, such as decentralized lift irrigation systems—offering a sustainable and innovative path to expand irrigation infrastructure, particularly through sustainable and innovative solutions, and address pressing agricultural challenges. However, current efforts to harness this potential often overlook gender-inclusive and gender-responsive strategies, limiting the equitable participation of women and marginalized groups in the irrigation sector.

Women’s Empowerment through Renewable Energy-Powered Lift Irrigation Systems in Bhutan (WERELIS – Bhutan) project seeks to address these gaps. The project is implemented by ICIMOD in collaboration with Department of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Royal Government of Bhutan along with field implementing partner Bhutan Ecological society. The project is funded by International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

The project aims to lay the groundwork for the broader adoption of renewable energy-powered irrigation systems by equipping decision-makers with evidence-based knowledge, practical tools, and scalable models, while also building technical capacity to integrate gender considerations into planning and implementation.