Decentralised Renewable Energy Innovations to Boost Agri-Sector Productivity & Address Global Food System Challenges

This report by the Alliance for Renewable Electrification (ARE) and UNIDO ITPO Germany examines the role of decentralised renewable energy (DRE) in enhancing agricultural productivity and addressing global food system challenges. It identifies key barriers to productivity, such as lack of access to finance and clean energy, and presents 15 case studies from emerging markets demonstrating the application of solar PV, hybrid systems, and biomass technologies for irrigation, cooling, and processing.

• The global food system faces three primary challenges: feeding a projected population of 9.7 billion people by 2050, providing sustainable livelihoods for approximately 570 million farms worldwide, and protecting the environment, as agriculture contributes 11% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and uses 70% of global water for irrigation.
• Major barriers to increased agricultural productivity and income include limited access to clean energy, water, high-quality seeds, modern agricultural practices, agro-processing equipment, finance, markets, and skilled labour, as well as a lack of consideration for gender dimensions.
• DRE technologies are being deployed for a wide range of agricultural applications, including solar-powered water pumping for irrigation, solar milk cooling to reduce losses, biomass-driven steam engines for crop drying, and hybrid mini-grids for community electricity and water access.
• Case studies demonstrate significant productivity gains: in Zimbabwe, Practical Action's project doubled agricultural production to about 143 hectares; in Kenya, SunCulture reported that 87% of farmers saw increased production and 80% saw increased earnings, with an average revenue increase of 44% per season.
• DRE solutions have provided measurable environmental benefits, such as the avoidance of thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions. For example, the UNIDO/TESE project in Guinea-Bissau is expected to reduce emissions by at least 409 tonnes of CO2 eq/year, and the Co-operative Bank Foundation project in Kenya avoids approximately 1,400 kg of CO2 emissions per year.
• Innovative financing is critical for DRE uptake among the rural poor. Models include a mix of grants, equity, and debt, as well as pre-paid cost-reflective tariffs with cross-subsidies for the poor, and the use of carbon credit revenues to finance future projects.
• Gender mainstreaming in DRE projects increases sustainability and impact. In Zimbabwe and India, addressing the distance women travelled for water and rice milling improved their quality of life and enhanced the general ability to pay for electricity.
• The report recommends a holistic, customer-centric approach to DRE, combining electrification with agro-development support, such as micro-credits and capacity building for operation and maintenance (O&M) to ensure long-term project viability.
• The DRE value chain is projected to create 4.5 million jobs globally by 2030, encompassing sales, installation, service, appliances, and operations and maintenance.

APA

Alliance for Renewable Electrification (n.d.). Decentralised Renewable Energy Innovations to Boost Agri-Sector Productivity & Address Global Food System Challenges. https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Agri-Publication.pdf

Chicago

Alliance for Renewable Electrification. Decentralised Renewable Energy Innovations to Boost Agri-Sector Productivity & Address Global Food System Challenges. n.d. https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Agri-Publication.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |title=Decentralised Renewable Energy Innovations to Boost Agri-Sector Productivity & Address Global Food System Challenges |url=https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Agri-Publication.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allianceforrenewableelectrificationnddecentralised, author = {{Alliance for Renewable Electrification}}, title = {{Decentralised Renewable Energy Innovations to Boost Agri-Sector Productivity \& Address Global Food System Challenges}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, url = {https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Agri-Publication.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }