By Emmanuel Chibasa
📌The Mbeere South Village Demonstration
Farm in Embu County is helping smallholder farmers save more than 40 percent of
the irrigation costs they used to spend on diesel pumps.
📌Farmers have increased their income by 30
percent.
📌Solar-powered irrigation is turning dry
areas into farming opportunities and creating jobs for youth.
MANY rural farmers continue to face the
impacts of climate change while solar energy technology is seen as a key
solution for reducing dependence on rainfall, increasing yields and improving food
security and livelihoods.
However, studies show that the use of
this technology is still low because of the high cost of equipment, poor-quality
products in the market and limited public awareness through the media about its
benefits and proper use.
SowPrecise
Africa’s Innovation
In Gachuriri Village, in Mbeere South,
Embu County in Kenya, many farmers rely on rainfall or diesel pumps to irrigate
their farms. The area experiences frequent droughts and unpredictable rainfall,
leading to unreliable farming and high diesel expenses despite the land being
fertile and productive.
In 2022 Linda Kamau, Julia Kinuthia and
Pius Wambua saw an opportunity in these challenges and founded SowPrecise
Africa which uses mobile solar irrigation technology through their SunRider
project. The system targets smallholder farmers at an affordable cost allowing
them to farm year-round without relying on rainfall while using water from the
Thiba River adjacent to their farm.
Linda, the company’s Chief Executive
Officer says that establishing the 20-acre demonstration farm was not easy due
to funding challenges. However, they successfully presented their project idea
and secured an initial $10,000 in funding from the Allan & Gill Gray
Philanthropies (AGGP).
“After receiving that funding they began
demonstrating the technology to farmers who relied on rainfall or diesel pumps showing
how they could farm year-round at an affordable cost. Farmers started coming to
learn and witness the results, and demand for our services began to grow.
Later, in 2024 we secured additional
grant funding from Heifer International after participating in the AYuTe
competition. This funding helped expand our project activities, including
adding more solar systems to reach more farmers,” says Linda.
Benefits
of Solar-Powered Demonstration Farms
Linda points out that over 80 percent of
Kenya’s land is arid and only 2 percent is used for irrigated farming.
“Technology like ours plays a significant
role in addressing climate change. So far, SowPrecise has developed irrigation
systems serving farmers in five locations where each system can irrigate up to
10 acres per day with a capacity to pump between 10,000 and 50,000 liters per
hour.
Farmers pay Ksh 1,500 per acre per week
through an annual contract, enabling them to farm three times a year and
increase income by 30 percent,” says Linda.
Farmers
Describe the Difference Before and After the Project
Stephen Mutua, a bean and maize farmer
says that before the project he used a diesel pump and spent up to Ksh 4,500
per week. Now he uses solar and pays only Ksh 1,500 with no fuel or maintenance
costs.
Janet for her part says using solar for
irrigation is cheaper than diesel pumps, although the initial purchase cost of
solar equipment remains a challenge for many farmers.
Battery-Free
Solar Technology
Pius Wambua the company’s co-manager
explains that the solar pumps they use do not require batteries.
“These panels collect electricity from both
direct and indirect sunlight reducing costs by 40 percent compared to diesel
pumps.” Says Wambua
It is advisable for a farmer to conduct
research and consult experts before ordering or going to a shop to buy
equipment. Farmers are encouraged to avoid buying low-quality products online
or in stores without professional advice.
“It is important to use certified
equipment that has been professionally tested before purchasing to avoid the
challenges many farmers face, which often lead to losses,” emphasizes Pius.
Why
is Usage Still Low?
A study conducted by Musoma TV in Bugwema
Village Musoma District, Mara Region, identified major challenges including
high equipment costs, lack of rural experts and limited access to
farmer-friendly loans for smallholders.
Briton Moris, a farmer from Bugwema,
Mara, told Musoma TV in a special interview that he uses up to 20 liters of
diesel per day to irrigate one acre because the land requires a lot of water.
Solar technology would help greatly, but the cost of equipment is high.
Penina Elisha for her part, said she
still relies on manual irrigation due to the lack of funds to buy a pump or
solar system.
Solar
Use Beyond Farming
Solar technology has also brought
transformation to the fishing sector on Lake Victoria through solar-powered
fish dryers.
Engineer Wistone Nnko from Millennium Engineers Mwanza explained that before establishing the Solar Dryer project at Kayenze Ndogo landing site in Mwanza, fish were dried using sand or makeshift racks. Now solar dryers can dry fish in just three hours with hygiene and international quality standards.
Fish traders like Agness Selestine and
Latifa Buchoji say this technology has reduced losses, improved quality, and
increased market value.
Report
on Journalism About Solar
The African Centre for Media Excellence
(ACME) has been conducting research in the media on reports about the use of
solar energy in agriculture and providing training for journalists to enable
them to produce impactful stories that promote the use of this energy.
From October 20 to 24, ACME organized a
workshop in Nairobi for 16 journalists from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda,
educating them on the best ways to produce and report impactful stories about
solar energy use in agriculture as well as presenting the results of research
conducted in 2024 which were released in 2025.
According to ACME, the report released in
May 2025 shows that media coverage of solar energy use in agriculture increased
by 79 percent, from 63 reports in 2023 to 113 in 2024.
The report notes that challenges remain,
including limited space for these stories, insufficient in-depth analysis, and
lack of gender balance in sources.
Brian Ssenabulya a research officer at ACME, says that most reports focused on irrigation, accounting for 67.1 percent, while topics such as storage, processing, and drying received little attention despite their importance.
At the opening of the workshop held at
the Swiss-Belinn Hotel in Nairobi, Rachel Mugarura-Mutana Program and Training
Manager at ACME, said the purpose of the workshop was to build journalists’
capacity to use system thinking in reporting solar energy stories from social,
economic, and environmental perspectives.
“This training provides an opportunity to
learn, exchange experiences and collaborate in educating communities about the
productive use of solar energy in agriculture. It also enables journalists to
think beyond irrigation, storage, and production to encourage communities to
adopt solar energy,” said Rachel.
Journalists’
Perspective after the Training
Amy Moyi from Elveza Media (Kenya) said
she learned to write energy stories using a system perspective that examines
root causes, gender roles and social and economic impacts.
“Now I can produce reports that stimulate
debate and policy action,” said Amy.
John Okot from Numec (Uganda) said the
training taught him to integrate different systems to produce in-depth and
impactful stories.
“I have learned to distinguish solution-based reporting from advertorials or public relations writing,” added John.
