Resource
From Farm to Market: Tackling Value Chain Inefficiencies with Decentralized Renewable Energy in Uganda and Ethiopia (Nov. 2025) draws on a comparative analysis of four agricultural value chains – dairy and matooke in Uganda, maize and teff in Ethiopia – to examine how decentralised renewable energy (DRE) can reduce losses, raise productivity, and strengthen competitiveness.
The research combines techno-economic modelling, field-level data, and stakeholder interviews to assess DRE solutions against a feasibility–impact scorecard. Despite differences in crops and contexts, inefficiencies follow a common pattern: low yields from rainfall dependence, post-harvest losses of 20–45%, high processing costs from diesel reliance, and fragmented market access. Combined losses across the four value chains are estimated at over USD 600 million annually.
The study identifies solar lighting for dairy, solar water pumps for matooke, and electric motorbikes as the priority DRE interventions – those offering the strongest combination of economic returns and near-term scalability. It closes with recommendations on cooperative governance, agricultural financing models, and policy integration needed to move DRE from pilot to mainstream input.
Research by Power for All, with support from Small Foundation.