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Agriculture and Energy Efficiency

Increasing agricultural productivity enhances food and income security, and reduced food waste.

40% of the global population rely on agriculture as a main source of income, many without energy access. Tending crops through time-intensive physical labour, their yields are inconsistent and weather-dependent compared to farmers with access to agricultural equipment.

Improving farm productivity has a direct impact on poverty alleviation: a 10% increase in agricultural productivity for smallholder farmers in Africa leads to a 7% reduction in poverty. It is also a key strategy for supporting the people most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Efficiency for Access aims to scale energy access for communities living in off- or weak-grid areas. It supports the development of energy-efficient and off-grid appropriate agricultural technologies by driving innovation and developing quality assurance frameworks.

Cold Chain

Cold Chain

Modern cold chain technology is crucial for reducing food waste and ensuring a sustainable agricultural sector. However, in many developing regions, the high cost and energy demands of this technology make it difficult to implement, contributing to significant food loss and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Expanding access to affordable and efficient cooling solutions is key to addressing both food security and climate challenges.

Cold chains manage the temperature of perishable goods from farm to table – maintaining quality and safety in the supply chain, reducing food loss, and enhancing income-generating opportunities.

Agricultural cold chains are crucial to developing markets and improving economic outcomes of agriculture-based economies. Establishing cold chains as extensive and reliable as those in industrialised countries would enable developing countries to raise food supply by 15%.

Solar Water Pumping

Solar Water Pumping

Mechanised irrigation is integral to improving agricultural productivity, but it is often considered to be expensive to operate and maintain. Solar water pumps offer a viable alternative to petrol and diesel irrigation pumps and a promising option for farmers living in off- or weak-grid areas. However, high up-front costs, variable operating environments, and lack of market intelligence to inform appropriate design considerations challenge the growth of this market.

Scaling the commercial market for solar water pumps will make modern irrigation more accessible and cost-effective, improving nutritional and economic outcomes. Solar water pumps also present a far-reaching opportunity to reduce the labour burden on women and girls who commonly shoulder agriculture and water-fetching work in rural areas.

Agro-processing

Agro-processing

Without energy access, communities mill grains by hand – a time-consuming task typically performed by women and children. For those with purchasing power, the only off-grid option is diesel-powered mills – a polluting, energy inefficient technology that is not viable for sparsely populated and remote regions.

Smallholder farmers with fewer than five acres can increase their yield by 30% with just one piece of modern processing equipment, reducing physical burden while increasing productivity.

Recently developed solar mills offer a sustainable alternative, consuming far less energy than diesel mills, while increasing productivity, and enabling financial growth.

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