Women Farmers Cut $10bn Food Losses with Renewable Energy

News in Brief:

—Women farmers across Nigeria are replacing costly diesel generators with solar-powered technologies, reducing operating costs and improving productivity.

—Experts say expanding access to renewable energy financing, climate finance and productive-use technologies is critical to accelerating rural economic growth.

Nigerian women farmers are increasingly embracing renewable energy technologies to reduce production costs, minimise post-harvest losses and improve farm productivity as the country continues to grapple with an estimated $10 billion in annual food losses.

Faced with rising diesel prices and unreliable electricity supply, women involved in poultry farming, aquaculture, food processing and crop production are turning to solar-powered equipment to sustain their businesses, improve profitability and strengthen food security.

Rising Energy Costs Push Farmers Towards Solar

For many smallholder farmers, unreliable electricity has long forced dependence on petrol and diesel generators to power essential farming activities such as irrigation, fish ponds, poultry operations and food processing.

One such farmer is Chinasa Asonye, National Secretary of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation (SWOFON), who operates fish ponds and poultry farms in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

According to Asonye, prolonged power outages forced her to spend nearly ₦400,000 every month on fuel purchases and generator maintenance, significantly increasing production costs.

After evaluating the long-term costs, she invested in a solar energy system that now powers her poultry facilities and fish farm, eliminating most of her dependence on fossil fuels.

Cooperative Financing Expands Renewable Energy Adoption

Following her successful transition to solar energy, Asonye introduced other members of her cooperative to the technology.

Rather than relying on commercial bank loans with stringent lending conditions, women farmers accessed renewable energy through cooperative financing arrangements that allowed them to repay gradually using internal savings and affordable loans.

The financing model has enabled members involved in fish farming, poultry production and agricultural processing to install solar-powered systems while reducing operating expenses and increasing investments in production.

According to Asonye, the success of the initiative has attracted interest from financial institutions, including the Bank of Industry, which has approached the cooperative with low-interest financing opportunities.

Energy Emerges as a Food Security Challenge

Stakeholders increasingly argue that Nigeria's food security challenge extends beyond agricultural production to include access to reliable and affordable energy.

Without electricity, farmers struggle to preserve harvested crops, power irrigation systems, operate processing equipment and maintain cold storage facilities, leading to substantial post-harvest losses.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), inadequate data continues to complicate efforts to accurately measure post-harvest losses globally, although the scale of Nigeria's challenge remains significant.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed in 2025 that Nigeria loses more than $10 billion annually due to poor storage infrastructure and post-harvest losses, while only three of the country's 17 concessioned grain silos remain operational.

Renewable Energy Supports Agricultural Productivity

Development organisations believe renewable energy offers one of the most effective solutions for improving agricultural productivity while reducing food waste.

Programmes supported by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and the Mastercard Foundation are helping women farmers gain access to productive-use energy technologies, including solar-powered irrigation systems, cold rooms, milling equipment and food processing machinery.

Between 2022 and 2024, GEAPP's Productive Use Financing Facility facilitated approximately $83.5 million in financing across six African countries, distributing about 16,000 productive-use appliances, creating or improving over 21,800 jobs and livelihoods, and attracting significantly higher private investment.

Nearly half of the programme's beneficiaries were women entrepreneurs.

Financing Remains a Major Barrier

Despite growing interest in renewable energy, access to finance remains one of the biggest obstacles facing women farmers.

Experts note that many women lack formal land ownership documents required as collateral for conventional bank loans, making it difficult to finance productive assets such as solar pumps, cold storage facilities and processing equipment.

Co-Founder of Sunray Carbon Technologies, Olaedo Osoka, argued that financial institutions should develop lending products tailored to agricultural realities, including seasonal incomes, cooperative financing structures and equipment-based lending.

She also identified carbon finance as an emerging opportunity capable of reducing renewable energy costs by generating additional income through verified greenhouse gas emission reductions.

Women Seen as Agricultural Entrepreneurs

Industry stakeholders argue that women should no longer be viewed merely as beneficiaries of development programmes but as entrepreneurs driving agricultural growth.

According to experts, women already manage significant portions of Nigeria's agricultural value chains, making improved access to finance, infrastructure, renewable energy and markets essential for expanding food production and rural economic development.

The designation of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer by the United Nations has further highlighted the central role women play in agricultural production while drawing attention to persistent barriers affecting their productivity.

Renewable Energy Drives Business Growth

Impact investor All On, which has invested nearly $50 million in renewable energy businesses over the past decade, believes productive-use energy can fundamentally transform Nigeria's agricultural economy.

The organisation estimates that its investments have improved electricity access for approximately two million Nigerians, with increasing emphasis on renewable energy systems that directly support income-generating activities such as irrigation, food processing and cold storage.

Through its participation in the Energising Women and Youth in Agri-Food Systems (EWAS) programme, All On provides technical assistance, business development support and financing incentives to renewable energy companies supplying productive equipment to women farmers.

The initiative aims to create about 17,000 jobs across Nigeria and Ethiopia, improve more than 136,000 livelihoods, and increase participating women's incomes by between four and six times.

Government Promotes Productive Renewable Energy

Government officials are also advocating broader deployment of renewable energy across Nigeria's agricultural sector.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, recently argued that renewable energy should be recognised as productive economic infrastructure rather than simply a source of household electricity.

According to him, renewable energy systems that power agro-processing facilities, cold storage centres, markets, clinics and rural businesses create stronger local economies by supporting commercial activities alongside electricity access.

As more farmers adopt solar-powered irrigation systems, cold rooms, milling equipment and processing technologies, renewable energy is increasingly emerging as a key driver of agricultural productivity, lower production costs and improved food security across Nigeria.