The Distributed Renewable Energy Ecosystem Model (DREEM) initiative kick started its nationwide engagements with farmers in and cooperatives in June 2025, visiting Kitui county and later Laikipia county in August to explore opportunities for integrating clean energy into agriculture. The visits brought together key spoke partners, including CLASP, Endustrial Support – Chi Yang Systems, and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC).
Kitui Energy Centre Visit
At the Kitui Energy Centre, partners convened to brainstorm how demonstration farms under the DREEM Hub could be rolled out across the country. Discussions focused on food security, energy access, and maximizing value for farmers across different value chains.
Representatives from CLASP emphasized the opportunity to create coalitions that help farmers retain more value from their activities across multiple value chains. Meanwhile, REREC underscored the importance of scalability, noting that the lessons from DREEM could be replicated across other regions in Kenya to improve livelihoods through clean energy adoption.
Program Manager Saumu Ismail (DREEM – KCIC) added, “Working with different partners to design and implement this program is proving fruitful so far. We see an opportunity to transform these communities beyond their staple crops. Achieving a combination of food security and energy access would be really impactful.”
Laikipia Cooperatives Engagement
The DREEM Hub team visited ODUPA Dairy Cooperative and Solio Cooperative to gain first-hand insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by dairy farmers.
At ODUPA, farmers were adding value to milk using manual processes due to limited access to modern equipment and energy, drawing attention to the need for value addition equipment to improve both speed and efficiency in processing. Meanwhile, Solio Cooperative showcased how its milk collection model is improving community livelihoods, though challenges in scaling remain due to the high cost of dairy equipment and the burden of high electricity expenses that continue to eat into profits.
Across both cooperatives, stakeholders emphasized the urgent need for affordable, reliable, and sustainable value addition equipment and powering solutions to support value addition in the dairy chain.
Demonstration Farms to Bridge the Gap
The upcoming demonstration farms in Laikipia and Kitui will act as knowledge-sharing hubs, giving farmers practical exposure to solar-powered agricultural technologies. Farmers will experience first-hand how agri-solar equipment works, with an emphasis on quality assurance and practical use. The initiative is aimed at accelerating clean energy adoption in agriculture.
