Background:

This project addresses the nexus between renewable energy, water, and agriculture, focusing on sustainable solutions for smallholder farmers in Africa. By integrating geospatial and systems modelling approaches, it provides insights into infrastructure needs, investment opportunities, and socio-economic benefits. The work supports poverty reduction and inequality alleviation while advancing climate-compatible agricultural development.

Project objectives:

  • Promote integrated modelling for renewable energy, water, and agriculture systems.
  • Assess irrigation water needs and related energy requirements at multiple scales.
  • Map agricultural, energy, and water demand to identify sustainable solutions.
  • Support robust business models for private smallholder farmers.
  • Evaluate economic, environmental, and social impacts of renewable energy deployment in agriculture.

Project outputs:

  • Multi-scale geospatial and systems modelling platform.
  • Insights into infrastructure needs and investment strategies for agriculture-energy-water systems.
  • Robust business models for sustainable smallholder farming.
  • Open-source tools and datasets (GitHub platform).

Project Team