Iran launches smart irrigation drive across 10,000 hectares

Iran is rolling out 110 pilot smart irrigation projects spanning around 10,000 hectares as part of a nationwide drive to enhance water productivity while expanding the use of renewable energy in the agricultural sector. Safdar Niazi Shahraki, Deputy Minister for Water and Soil Affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the initiatives are now in their third year and extend across almost all provinces.

According to the deputy minister, the schemes will be scaled up across the country once the pilot phase is completed. Alongside this effort, authorities intend to fit approximately 230,000 electric agricultural wells and close to 200,000 diesel-powered wells with solar panels, as reported by Tehran Times, a TV BRICS partner.

The ministry is also broadening the adoption of advanced technologies in farm management. Programmes include the application of artificial intelligence to irrigation, internet-of-things solutions in fields, and satellite-based crop monitoring, as well as the creation of national databases for water and soil resources and digital soil maps. Work is progressing in parallel on modern water transfer networks and decision-support platforms for producers.

On the energy side, Safdar Niazi added, the government has allocated about US$400 million to support the installation of solar panels in agriculture, with a specialised engineering body appointed to supervise delivery.

He emphasised that achieving the plan’s wider agricultural objectives, among them the annual deployment of modern irrigation systems across 200,000 hectares, along with drainage, canal rehabilitation, and soil studies, will demand funding estimated at roughly US$3.5 billion each year. As climate pressures intensify and water resources come under greater strain, raising efficiency in farm water use is becoming ever more important, particularly as part of agricultural supplies is redirected to meet drinking needs.