In Nairobi, Kenya, farmer Yvonne Anyonyi Mumiah now benefits from a solar-powered cool storage service to keep her harvest fresh. She grows rosemary, basil, and other crops for European supermarkets. Previously worried about transport delays and extreme heat, she now utilizes a pay-per-use model from SoKo Fresh. This service charges farmers based on kilograms stored, addressing a key agricultural issue: food spoilage.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that up to 40% of food in Africa is lost between harvest and market due to inadequate infrastructure for storage, transport, and processing. Solar power offers a solution by keeping produce fresh for markets. Solar-powered, off-grid cold storage facilities help farmers preserve perishable goods without relying on costly and unreliable electrical grids. This innovation is spreading across Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa.
Mumiah, a smallholder farmer, shares, “The biggest challenge was preserving the quality after harvest. We are no longer forced to sell immediately, fearing the produce will spoil. We can wait for collection and still maintain quality.”
As climate change increases temperatures and disrupts supply chains, cooling technology becomes more critical. Countries like India, China, and the US have sophisticated cold-chain networks, which Africa largely lacks. Many African farmers must sell crops immediately, facing significant losses due to extreme heat, which accelerates spoilage, and unreliable electricity, making refrigeration impractical.
Emmanuel Aziebor, regional director for Africa at CLASP, notes that cold storage is “one of the missing links in Africa’s agricultural value chains.” Proper storage allows farmers to access better markets and reduces waste, increasing income. SoKo Fresh indicates spoilage rates have dropped from 50% to under 2%, with farmers earning up to 50% more per kilogram.
In Nigeria, companies like ColdHubs provide solar-powered walk-in cold rooms, allowing daily rentals. In Rwanda, solar-powered refrigeration boosts dairy cooperatives and milk collection. Ethiopia is expanding cold-chain investments to support its growing horticultural exports. These innovations are vital for improving food security and reducing emissions. Traditional systems rely on diesel generators, whereas solar-powered alternatives reduce emissions and fuel costs.
Carol Koech, vice president for Africa at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, highlights, “The challenge today is not demonstrating these systems work. It is building enough bankable projects to attract larger investment.” While grants, low-interest loans, and donor support can help with initial costs, attracting commercial investment remains tough due to market fragmentation and predominance of small-scale producers.
SoKo Fresh CEO Denis Karema explains, “Investors see emerging technologies as high risk because we lack enough proven business models with reliable returns. This makes funding expensive.”