Solar-Powered Drip Irrigation Efficacy on Tomato Productivity and Women's Cooperative Livelihoods in Mopti, Mali: A Randomised Controlled Trial

{ "background": "Agricultural productivity in the Sahel is constrained by water scarcity and reliance on rainfed systems. Women's cooperatives are pivotal to rural livelihoods but face significant barriers to adopting sustainable intensification technologies.", "purpose and objectives": "This study aimed to quantify the causal impact of solar-powered drip irrigation (SPDI) on tomato yields and household incomes for women's cooperatives, and to assess its adoption dynamics.", "methodology": "A two-season randomised controlled trial was conducted with 60 women's horticultural cooperatives in the Mopti region. Cooperatives were randomly assigned to treatment (SPDI installation and training) or control (rainfed practice). Data on yield, water use, and household income were collected. The primary analysis used a linear mixed-effects model: Yit = \β0 + \β1 Ti + \β2 St + \β3 (Ti \× St) + ui + \εit, where Yit is the outcome for cooperative i in season t, $Ti$ is the treatment indicator, $St$ is the season fixed effect, and uᵢ is the cooperative random effect.", "findings": "SPDI increased average tomato yields by 142% (95% CI: 118%, 169%) compared to the control. Household incomes in treatment cooperatives rose by an average of 67%. The technology also reduced irrigation labour by an estimated 35 hours per hectare per week, reallocated primarily to marketing and childcare activities.", "conclusion": "SPDI is a transformative technology for semi-arid horticulture, significantly enhancing productivity and income. Its labour-saving attribute is a critical facilitator for women's adoption.", "recommendations": "Policy should prioritise targeted subsidies and credit mechanisms for women's groups to acquire SPDI. Extension programmes must integrate hands-on technical training with cooperative business management.", "key words": "drip irrigation, solar