Water and energy are the key drivers of agricultural production while the world is facing severe energy and water crisis. Increasing crop production per unit area for the increasing population of the world is dire need of time. Thus, sustainable approaches are required to ensure food security and energy security. One of the sustainable development approach is solar photovoltaic water pumping system (SPVWPS). It is a promising alternative to the conventional pumping systems and a cost-effective application especially in remote off-grid areas of developing countries. In recent years, through continuous improvement, the photovoltaic pump system has been widely used in agricultural, industrial, and domestic sectors. Present paper intends to review and summarize the recent research and development performed in SPVWPS. The study focuses on components of the photovoltaic pump system, factors affecting system efficiency, performance assessment, optimization of the system, and possibility of combination with other green technologies. An update on the research and current situation of SPVWPS is presented. SPVWPS is found to be feasible in comparison to the conventional pumping systems. Application of PV pumping in different regions of the world are also discussed. This paper aims to provide a broad outlook on SPVWPS for the researchers, engineers, manufacturers, and policy makers.