Maria Gorreti Nakanwagi was nearing her wits end, as she agonized over the wastage and loss she and her fellow mushroom farmers endured daily at the downtown Nakasero market in Kampala, Uganda. The founder of Umami Mushrooms recalls how she would join other farmers in making the only two choices available to them: Either surrendering their produce to middlemen at throw-away prices, or losing them altogether when they were no longer fresh.

“As I was trying to figure out how to dry and preserve my mushrooms to avoid these losses, that is when I saw the KCIC opportunity,” she recalls.

“The program helped me set up a production unit, solar dryers, and expand my capacity. I have created jobs as a result, and empowered other women farmers. I no longer just sell mushrooms, but also mushroom gardens. We have also come up with mushroom value-added products, including skin care products and even beverages,” she adds.

Due to her expanded capacity and ability to dry and preserve her products, Maria has taken Umami mushrooms beyond Ugandan borders.

Agriculture remains pivotal to East Africa’s economy, yet many farmers and agribusinesses remain shackled by unreliable and costly energy sources. The Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) sought to change this narrative with the successful implementation of its pilot program dubbed ‘Productive Use of Solar Energy’ (PUSE), targeting the region’s Agriculture sector.

Funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the two-year initiative (2023-2024) marked KCIC’s first venture beyond Kenyan borders, extending its impact to Uganda and Tanzania. The program sought to enhance agricultural productivity, create jobs, and mitigate climate change by supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) integrating solar energy into their business models.

“We’ve been supporting this work for nearly ten years in East Africa, with the objective of creating a model that can be scaled to other developing countries to help farmers better address the climate emergency,” says Dr. Robert Ddamulira, Program Officer at the Mott Foundation.

 

 

A Transformative Approach to Renewable Energy Adoption

The PUSE program was designed to address a critical challenge: the slow adoption of solar energy solutions within key agricultural value chains such as dairy, horticulture, and fisheries. The program aimed to bridge this gap through:

1. Business Mentorship & Advisory Support – Providing technical expertise, financial literacy training, and business strategy development for 30 shortlisted enterprises.
2. Technical Assistance – Facilitating access to product testing, certification, and regulatory compliance, ensuring solar solutions met industry standards.
3. Access to Finance – Enabling SMEs to secure performance-based financing and external investment, reducing barriers to scaling their businesses.
4. Market Linkages & Strategic Partnerships – Connecting enterprises to potential investors, customers, and industry stakeholders through exhibitions, forums, and networking events.
5. Capacity Building & Knowledge Sharing – Conducting training sessions, webinars, and field visits to enhance entrepreneurs’ technical and operational capacities.

Key Milestones and Impact

Through the pilot, KCIC has made significant strides in fostering renewable energy adoption in agriculture, yielding impressive results:

• 407 direct jobs and over 1,200 indirect jobs created.
• 23,516 new customers adopted solar-powered agricultural solutions.
• Enterprise revenues grew by USD 2.05 million (a 19% increase).
• USD 763,256 in external funding secured for SMEs, against a target of USD 50,000.
• 342,543 tonnes of CO₂ emissions mitigated, againsta a target of 100,000, reinforcing the program’s climate impact.

Some of the notable innovations by entrepreneurs in the program included solar-powered cold storage solutions and solar-powered irrigation systems, which have significantly reduced post-harvest losses and increased farm productivity. Additionally, the program facilitated knowledge-sharing platforms where entrepreneurs engaged with industry experts to refine their business models and enhance market penetration.

‘Prior to KCIC support, we were doing just a few of our dairy cooling and heating units. Right now that has changed, not just in quantity but also quality and volume of sales, thanks to the support in acquiring new production equipment and technical assistance. Our brand trust has also significantly improved thanks to our association with KCIC,’ says Queen L’Ombaka, Marketing Lead at the Kenya-based Techwin Limited.

“Through this support, KCIC has walked with us from concept to solution. We are currently set to produce solar-powered cold storage units for dairy farmers,” says Prosper Magali, Founder of Ensol Ltd, Tanzania.

Lessons from the Pilot Program

While the program achieved remarkable successes, it also revealed critical gaps that must be addressed for long-term sustainability:

• Gender Inclusivity Needs Strengthening – Only 25% of enterprises were women-led, highlighting the need for targeted outreach and support for female entrepreneurs.
• Rural Penetration Remains a Challenge – Most onboarded enterprises were based in urban areas, limiting the accessibility of PUSE solutions to rural farmers.
• Dairy Sector Underserved – Despite its economic importance, fewer innovations targeted the dairy value chain, presenting an opportunity for future interventions.
• Over-Reliance on Grants – Many SMEs sought financing but lacked investor-readiness, underscoring the need for enhanced training in financial sustainability.

According to KCIC CEO, Joseph Murabula, “The transition to productive use of solar energy in agriculture is not just about energy access; it is about building resilient economies, empowering SMEs, and fostering climate action. This pilot program has demonstrated that with the right support, enterprises can drive meaningful impact in their communities.”

Industry experts have also emphasized the urgent need for increased investment in off-grid solar solutions to bridge the energy access gap in rural Africa. The high cost of traditional energy sources and the vulnerability of agricultural activities to climate change make renewable energy adoption a critical component of sustainable food systems.

Looking Ahead: Scaling Renewable Energy Solutions

In a strategic continuation of its efforts, KCIC is set to implement the Distributed Renewable Energy Ecosystem Model (DREEM) Hub, also supported by the Mott Foundation. Running from June 2024 to July 2027, it builds upon the PUSE program by embedding solar energy solutions into last-mile communities, particularly targeting the dairy and horticulture value chains.

‘Going into the future, KCIC will be catalyzing climate entrepreneurship at the ecosystem level, and the PUSE program has shown us what an ecosystem approach can do. This is the founding template of the DREEM Hub, and we look forward to bringing it to life with the support of other ecosystem partners,” says Murabula.

The initiative aims to support 1,000 youth and women agrisolar entrepreneurs in Kenya, improve access to affordable financing through a revolving loan fund, and establish a long-term ecosystem for renewable energy adoption in agriculture. KCIC will also coordinate two other DREEM hubs in Tanzania and Uganda, being implemented by WWF Tanzania and Heifer International Uganda.

As Africa continues its transition toward a green economy, initiatives like the PUSE program and the DREEM Hub offer a blueprint for integrating renewable energy into agriculture, ultimately improving food security, economic resilience, and environmental sustainability. KCIC’s foray into East Africa underscores its commitment to catalyzing climate entrepreneurship across borders, setting the stage for broader regional collaboration in the renewable energy space.