Rural renewable energy MSMEs operating to modernize agriculture in Sub Saharan Africa and South-East Asia
PEP has partnered with Environment for Development (EfD) for a three-year initiative on "Leveraging renewable energy MSMEs for sustainable agriculture in SSA and SEA". It is supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
This research program aims to generate robust evidence to inform policy reforms that foster resilience, adaptation to climate change, and inclusivity in the agricultural sector, particularly for women and youth in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Uganda, and Vietnam.
By empowering rural micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the agricultural sector in each target country, this initiative aims to advance the use of renewable energy technologies to modernize agriculture while promoting inclusivity and addressing climate change issues in these regions.
PEP and EfD will support in-country project teams comprising local researchers and stakeholders. These teams will engage with policymakers and practitioners, conduct rigorous evaluations, and design strategies tailored to each country's unique needs and circumstances.
Three key objectives
- Understand how MSMEs can contribute to a shift towards sustainable energy by adopting climate adaptation strategies that heavily rely on scalable renewable energy technologies.
- Identify factors that enable the inclusion of women and youth in MSMEs that have incorporated renewable energy interventions into their operations
- Engage local stakeholders, including public policy decision-makers, to raise their awareness about the benefits of implementing our context-specific policy recommendations.
The project teams will work closely with local institutions, agricultural MSMEs, and organizations working to advance renewable energy applications in the agricultural sector. Through this project, teams will provide evidence-based recommendations for local and national decision-making to help shape evidence-informed decisions.
A three-phase program
- Diagnose: Research teams connect with small businesses (MSMEs) in rural areas involved in renewable energy in farming.
- The goal is to identify potential levers and barriers for the adoption of renewable energy and to promote better living and working conditions for women, youth, and minorities.
- To do so, the teams conduct a desk review and Key Informant Interviews to understand the needs, challenges, and current operations of selected MSMEs.
- The teams have completed this phase.
- Design: Research teams design alternative strategies or interventions to incentivise MSMEs to adopt renewable energy technologies in agriculture and improve living and working conditions for targeted groups.
- This phase narrows the focus to the most relevant MSMEs and involves gaining in-depth knowledge of them.
- Strategies and interventions will be co-designed with MSMEs and stakeholders.
- Impact Evaluation & Policy Advisory: Research teams implement and evaluate the interventions they designed in Phase 2.
- The focus will be on overcoming barriers to resilience, adopting renewable energies, and ensuring inclusiveness.
- It includes rigorous evaluation using various techniques and aims to develop policy recommendations in consultation with stakeholders.
- The findings and recommendations from each country project will be disseminated and discussed at their respective national levels.
Country projects
Burkina Faso Kenya Uganda Vietnam
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