At least 600 farming communities from rural Uganda are set to benefit from an innovative solar-powered irrigation system to enable them cut production costs and up yields in the wake of climate change effects.
The irrigation system that has been designed by Nexus Green, a Uganda-based solar energy company founded in 2015 is expected to revolutionize and professionalize the country’s agricultural sector by easing access to water for the rural farmers through affordable and premium solar products.
Speaking in Kampala yesterday during the launch of the program, Rikki Verma, the CEO at Nexus Green said that the company is targeting over 600 sites of solar irrigation systems within the country.
“This system is designed to create wealth within the agriculture sector by introducing smart-agriculture practices and agribusiness development to move the small-scale farmers from subsistence cultivation into modern commercial farming which would increase production, productivity, and farm income,” He said.
He added that with the increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, the need for investment in irrigation and climate resilience has become of paramount importance.
The Government of Uganda recently ranked irrigation as the third most important infrastructural investment that will facilitate the economic transformation of the country as envisaged under Vision 2040.
According to Verma, the project therefore produces a perfect response to tackle the adverse effects of climate change in the agricultural sector, by providing water to mainly water-stressed communities in Uganda for domestic use, and farm use – animal and smallholder crop farming.
“It will also support community training on sustainable agricultural practices, developing resilience to climate change, protection of environments near swamps and water bodies, enhancing food security, promoting proper sanitation, and developing rural community livelihoods,” he said.
Nexus Green is also introducing the latest state-of-the-art Solar Solutions which are also expected to greatly transform and significantly profit Uganda’s commercial and industry sectors by easing access to renewable energy for companies and institutions through affordable and premium solar products.
In Uganda it’s becoming very costly for businesses connected to the national electricity grid to run their operation because energy price keeps going up hence the obvious alternative route for a replacement is renewable energy, noted Verma.
“The grid and diesel generation are not reliable. Power cuts and the cost of fuel to keep operating generators cost a lot meaning using solar with batteries is cheaper as there is no need to rely on the grid anymore.”
With Solar energy there is an assurance of a continuous smooth running of all operations especially those in rural areas hence they can produce more to attain food security and social stability in the sector.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, about 70% of Uganda’s working population is employed in agriculture. During the Financial Year 2021/22 agriculture accounted for 24.1% of Uganda’s GDP and 33% of export earnings, according to the ministry of finance, planning, and economic development.
In this, Nexus Green is committed to working hand in hand with the Government of Uganda to realize increased adaptation of solar energy across the energy by introducing cutting-edge technology to allow villages and small towns to connect to energy using mini-grids.
“The East African region presents enormous opportunities in the energy sector. We are excited to have our hub in Uganda which is land linked to so many countries,” said Verma.
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