CleanTechnicaWorld Resources Institute
As Diesel Costs Surge for Farmers & Rural Businesses, Solar Offers a Lifeline
The cost of diesel fuel rose nearly 33% from 2025 to 2026, with some countries experiencing even higher price spikes. For many of the world’s rural farmers, processors, and small businesses, solar-powered equipment offers an attractive alternative.
On a dry hillside in Chamwino, central Tanzania, mango farmers used to watch their trees struggle through the long months without rain. Irrigation was technically possible: A diesel pump could lift water from a nearby borehole.
But in practice, fuel was too expensive and too unpredictable for smallholders to run the system often enough. When diesel prices rose, farmers irrigated less, production dropped, and most households stayed locked into low-yield farming and razor-thin margins.
In 2021, a solar-powered pump and drip irrigation system replaced the diesel setup as part of a pilot project.
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