STEP CHANGE: Demonstration of the Potential of Renewable Energy for Productive Use in Rural Uganda

Active

from 01/03/2021 until 31/12/2023

Off-Grid Renewable Energy in Agriculture

Action for Rural Women’s Empowerment (ARUWE) together with Caritas Kasanaensis Luwero and Ndejje University is conducting research on Off-Grid Renewable Energy in Agriculture. The research aims at demonstrating the Potential of Renewable Energy for Production Use in Rural Uganda. Renewable energy in agricultural production can be a useful way of responding to the increasing energy demand of the sector as well as a means for promoting social and environmental sustainability. STEP CHANGE will develop knowledge about the impact of renewable energy technology for productive use in rural Uganda via a citizen science approach. Citizen scientists selected from farmers of six agricultural cooperatives and interested community members, will participate in the initiative.

In Kyankwanzi, Kiboga and Luwero districts, agricultural cooperatives have been trained and mobilised to use renewable energy technologies. Their impact, notably when it comes to environment, individual and community autonomy, fighting corruption, knowledge transfer, and improved skills for economic benefit, will be investigated. Based on this analysis, it will be explored to what extent the adoption of renewable energy in agricultural production can be a useful way of responding to the increasing energy demand of the sector as well as a vehicle to promote social and environmental sustainability.

Building on lessons learnt, the Citizen Science Initiative will collect evidence on the potential of up-scaling of these experiences to the whole region while providing an esteem of the up-scaling potential at the national level.

This initiative is part of the Step Change project, which aims to explore how Citizen Science can make science more socially robust, inclusive and democratic. The project, launched in March 2021 and funded under the H2020 programme, will implement 5 Citizen Science Initiatives in the fields of Health, Energy and Environment”.

Aim

Overall objective of the research: Demonstration of potential of off-grid renewable energy (RE) for productive use for agriculture in rural Uganda

Objective 1: To identify the impacts achieved by three ongoing projects in Kyankwanzi, Kiboga and Luwero districts where agricultural cooperatives have been trained and mobilized to use renewable energy technologies

Objective 2: To provide evidence on the potential of up-scaling of these technology transfer experiences to the whole region and provide an estimate of the up-scaling potential at national level.