Tackling barriers to solar irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa: Regional insights from entrepreneurs
Description
Solar-powered irrigation technologies are increasingly recognized as a vital solution for addressing water access challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where agriculture is the backbone of livelihoods and food security. With 90% of cropland dependent on unpredictable rainfall and smallholder farmers producing 80% of the region’s food, sustainable irrigation systems are essential for improving productivity and resilience.
Despite this potential, solar irrigation companies across Africa face diverse and country-specific challenges such as difficulties in market penetration, low awareness and acceptance among farmers, and financial sustainability given the seasonality of their business models.
This webinar facilitates a peer-to-peer exchange during which entrepreneurs discuss their specific challenges and how they deal with them in an innovative way as part of the SESA incubator programme. The insights can support SMEs and entrepreneurs already involved in or aiming to enter the solar irrigation market, as well as provide other stakeholders such as cooperatives, NGOs, researchers and policy makers with practical takeaways to apply in their respective areas of work, contributing to the wider promotion of sustainable irrigation solutions.
Video
UN City
Solar-powered irrigation technologies are increasingly recognized as a vital solution for addressing water access challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where agriculture is the backbone of livelihoods and food security. With 90% of cropland dependent on unpredictable rainfall and smallholder farmers producing 80% of the region’s food, sustainable irrigation systems are essential for improving productivity and resilience. Despite this potential, solar irrigation companies across Africa face diverse and country-specific challenges such as difficulties in market penetration, low awareness and acceptance among farmers, and financial sustainability given the seasonality of their business models. This webinar facilitates a peer-to-peer exchange during which entrepreneurs discuss their specific challenges and how they deal with them in an innovative way as part of the SESA incubator programme.
