India, Sept. 14 -- In Tulyachapada village in Maharashtra's Palghar district, solar-powered drip irrigation has helped farmers access water that was earlier close by but difficult to bring to their fields.

The project uses 10 shared solar pumps and a 10-km pipeline to support 108 households and farmer groups across the village.

Cultivated land has increased from four to five acres before 2019 to 95.77 acres, with groundnut, vegetables and fruit trees adding new income streams.

Farmers say year-round irrigation has reduced dependence on rainfall, improved incomes and cut distress migration after the kharif season.

Farmer Pandurang Lahare, 38, is relieved he no longer has to make the daily two-kilometre journey to the water source in Tu...