Productive Use of Renewable Energy In Agricultural Value Chains (PURE.Ag)

Productive Use of Renewable Energy In Agricultural Value Chains (PURE.Ag), 2023-2024

Donor:

GIZ/EnDev via Mercy Corps

Goal

The objective of PURE.Ag is to support the development and testing of sustainable business models that enable smallholder farmers to enhance their productivity and increase their income through the use of renewable energy technologies.

What we do

The implementation of PURE.Ag will be led by a consortium headed by Mercy Corps, operating under its Energy 4 Impact platform (MC E4I), and comprising EUCORD.

The program will focus on the implementation of a Results-Based Financing (RBF) scheme, which will provide incentives to suppliers of solar-powered water pumps (SWPs) to develop and test business models that involve installment-based payments (such as pay-as-you-go and harvest-based payments). By doing so, PURE.Ag aims to address the affordability challenge associated with solar water pumps and make them more competitive when compared to diesel water pumps.

Through this initiative, we aim to empower smallholder farmers by providing them with access to affordable and reliable renewable energy solutions for their agricultural activities. By leveraging solar power, we can enhance irrigation systems, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and contribute to sustainable agricultural practices.

Accomplishments

• The objective of PURE.Ag is to support the development and testing of sustainable business models that enable smallholder farmers to enhance their productivity and increase their income through the use of renewable energy technologies.
• The project was officially launched on March 19, 2024 and hosted by MINAGRI.
• Stakeholder engagement conducted and Rapid Value Chains Assessment completed in the project intervention area (6 out of 7 districts of the Eastern Province)