Much of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population lacks reliable access to electricity. Load shedding — controlled electricity shutdowns — is one of the leading causes. People go without power for hours at a time over several days. Farmers must pause irrigation, meat processing and cold storage, sometimes resulting in considerable post-harvest losses.
Farmers have dealt with load shedding for nearly two decades. While the situation seemed bleak for some time, it is finally starting to look up. Community initiatives and public-private partnerships are making electricity more affordable and accessible. Renewable energy use is expanding, helping independent and smallholder farms tackle Africa’s energy crisis.
Africa’s Farm Energy Crisis at a Glance
According to the United Nations, 685 million people worldwide lack access to reliable electricity. More than 80% of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Even those living on-grid face brownouts and blackouts. Although the government has invested heavily in electrical infrastructure, the latest figures show population growth outpaced its progress.
Rising electricity costs have helped keep demand in check, to some extent. However, Eskom must still periodically implement load shedding to prevent the entire electric system from overloading.
Understanding Load Shedding
A brownout is a temporary power disruption characterized by a significant drop in voltage levels. Sometimes, utility companies intentionally impose controlled dips to manage supply and demand. This practice is called load shedding. It began in 2007 in South Africa. Aging infrastructure, high demand and fuel shortages impact generation capacity.
According to Eskom, Stage 1 allows for the shedding of up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) of the national load, leaving people without power up to three times for two to four hours at a time. At the highest stage, they lose power 12 times over four days for four hours. The energy crisis requires urgent attention.
How Does It Impact Agriculture?
While everyone is affected, farmers feel the effects more than others. On top of impacting them personally, it impacts their livelihoods. No electricity means no irrigation or cold storage, impacting everything from harvesting to the cold chain. After spending so long cultivating soybeans, sugarcane or avocados, farmers watch their yields go to waste.
More farmers are electrifying their agricultural machinery. Load shedding can stop them from recharging those batteries. Moreover, sensitive electronics may malfunction or be damaged due to the unstable voltage supply.
Impacts on crop cultivation and livestock farming have downstream effects. Extended power outages can bring the industry to a standstill. Without cold storage or meat processing capabilities, mills, butchers and bakeries can’t do much.
Farmers Took Matters Into Their Own Hands
Clean energy access is vital for sustainable farming. While the government is working toward a solution to the farm energy crisis, some farmers couldn’t wait. For a family-owned farm near Malelane, solar power was the best option. Its sugarcane field, citrus orchards, Nguni cattle and mango orchards cover 1,900 hectares.
The owners of the Radley Landgoed farm built a floating solar panel array covering a 3,350-square-meter area. It produces 1.8 gigawatt-hours of electricity. Since they installed it on a body of water, it takes up no productive land. Another benefit is the water’s natural cooling properties. It is the Mpumalanga Province’s most significant agricultural energy project.
Standard Bank’s Business and Commercial Banking division helped finance the project. Many financial institutions provide funding when the government is unable to help. The company expects the project costs to be paid off within 10 years. The installation has a lifespan of around 30 years, making it a cost-effective solution.
Another potential solution is harvesting agricultural waste as a renewable biofuel feedstock. Plant residue — stems, branches and leaves — comprises 80% of a crop, which farmers discard after the harvest. Biogas and biodiesel are ideal alternatives to unsustainable, inefficient fuels because sourcing biomass is easy and cost-effective for any farm.
Although there is a lack of research on peer-to-peer energy trading in South Africa, it is another promising avenue. It enables the free trade of clean energy without central oversight or coordination. Those with solar arrays and battery storage systems can give their excess power to those in need or sell it to utility companies to relieve grid stress while making a profit.
Funding, Partnerships and Policy Initiatives
South Africa runs the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). This program is highly successful and is seen as a model for other African countries. It has granted bidders over 6,000 MW of generation capacity, primarily from wind and solar. It aims to add even more to the grid through private sector investments.
Government agencies and associations are working toward a solution. With solar, wind, small hydro and biogas, they aim to future-proof municipalities with clean, renewable power sources. Once they tackle Africa’s farm energy crisis, they can assist with infrastructural capacity upgrade expenses and help facilitate energy trading.
Where Does Eksom Plan to Go From Here?
Eskom has a troubled history marred by corruption and debt. However, it will play a pivotal role in finding a solution. In 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster over the electricity crisis. Soon after, Eskom underwent several significant changes.
Eskom launched the Generation Operational Recovery Plan in 2022 to increase the energy availability factor to 70% of the network’s potential. It has since overhauled its leadership. In 2023, the treasury provided 254 billion rand to help with its debt. That year, it reached 35,000 MW, the highest in six years.
This major overhaul and debt relief package has helped decrease the frequency of unplanned outages. Another contributing factor is the price of electricity, which has risen several times the inflation rate for years. The spread of independent renewable power sources has helped relieve pressure on the grid.
Load shedding is not a thing of the past — Africa’s electric infrastructure is still vulnerable. The government has recognized missed opportunities and is improving, but independent initiatives and community involvement are still essential for success.
Also, Eskom still has room for growth. It could agree to exclude agriculture from low-level load shedding. Alternatively, it could subsidize farmers who increase their renewable capacity or source clean energy from those with battery storage systems.
Making Farms Resilient to Load Shedding
The solution to Africa’s farm energy crisis isn’t as straightforward as investing in new generation capacity to ease demand. Thankfully, it seems the government and Eskom have figured this out. Farmers can help fast-track progress by investing in sustainable renewables and biofuels. Making affordable, clean energy widely available is possible.
Jane is an agriculture and environmental journalist and the founder and editor-in-chief of Environment.co, where she covers sustainability and eco-friendly living.
