Innovate for clean-powered agro technologies

This project aims to improve the productivity and income of rural smallholder farmers through low-cost clean-energy powered technology solutions and enhanced prospects for clean power innovations in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal. Smallholders produce approximately 85% of Africa's agriculture, but agricultural mechanization is low because farmers typically cultivate the land by hand and only 5% of land is irrigated. Agricultural activity predominantly occurs in rural areas, where access to energy is limited.

The United Nations University’s Institute for Natural Resources in Africa will run a challenge to support clean agricultural technology that focuses on solutions that replace human labour on farms to save time, reduce drudgery and enhance the economic opportunity and well-being of women and youth. The project will generate evidence to support and promote gender-sensitive policy frameworks that recognize these clean energy solutions and that provide the necessary incentives for their adoption at scale. As innovators of clean energy agricultural technology and private mini-grid companies increasingly engage youth and women, leveraging their potential to improve agricultural productivity through this initiative will deepen evidence and inform action that supports women and youth to play a leading role in clean energy transitions.