Synnefa and Solidaridad have launched a joint effort to scale smart solar drying technology for smallholder farmers in Kenya. The partnership targets post-harvest losses by accelerating crop drying and improving product quality. It builds on completed pilots and is designed to move quickly from demonstration to broad deployment.
Funding and Partnership Overview
The collaboration received about 300,000 dollars in grant funding from P4G, a World Resources Institute initiative. The grant will support rollout of IoT-enabled solar dryers to 800 farmers in Makueni County. The partners position this as a bridge to multi-county adoption and eventual regional scale.
The Post-Harvest Challenge
Inefficient open-air drying can take 10 to 14 days and exposes crops to dust, pests, and rain. Farmers across Africa lose an estimated 30 to 50 percent of harvests due to these constraints. Limited access to modern equipment has kept many smallholders locked into high loss, low margin cycles.
Technology and Performance
Synnefa’s smart solar dryers are instrumented with IoT monitoring and controls to standardize and shorten the drying process. Reported results include a 54 percent gain in drying efficiency and a reduction in drying time to two or three days. The system has also been shown to cut post-harvest losses by 45 percent in relevant value chains.
Target Value Chains and Use Cases
Initial deployment focuses on mango, peanut, and coffee, with additional uses in fruits, vegetables, grains, and spices. Faster, cleaner drying extends shelf life and improves consistency of moisture content for buyers. That, in turn, supports higher realized prices and opens export opportunities that require quality assurance.
Go-to-Market and Capacity Building
Synnefa will deploy dryers through a rent-to-own model for farmer cooperatives and a dry-as-a-service model for 10 youth enterprises. Solidaridad will train farmers on climate-smart practices, post-harvest handling, and operational use of the equipment. The partners will also advocate for incentives and standards that encourage investment in post-harvest infrastructure.
Complementary Digital and Hardware Stack
Beyond dryers, Synnefa offers Smart Greenhouses, the FarmShield IoT suite, and FarmCloud decision tools. These products provide agronomic and climate data to support irrigation, crop protection, and operational planning. To date, Synnefa reports supporting more than 7,000 farmers across coffee, grain, vegetable, and fruit segments.
Expected Impact and Measurement
The partnership aims to strengthen resilience to climate shocks by reducing weather exposure during drying. Improved quality and lower losses are expected to lift farmer incomes while reducing waste-related emissions. The program will track adoption, throughput, quality outcomes, and policy engagement to validate results.
Scale-Up and Financing Plans
Synnefa is seeking two million dollars in seed funding by 2026 to reach 150,000 farmers across East Africa. The company projects prevention of more than 50,000 metric tons of food loss through that expansion. It also anticipates job creation in youth-led enterprises that operate dryers as revenue-generating assets.
About the Partners
Synnefa Green Limited serves as lead business partner with a focus on integrated agri-hardware and software solutions. Solidaridad is the lead administrative partner with more than five decades of experience in inclusive supply chains. In Kenya, Solidaridad works with government, research bodies, and private actors to align programs with agricultural policy.
Broader Program Context
P4G awarded 3.8 million dollars in grants and technical assistance to 14 climate technology partnerships across several regions. The initiative connects startups with nonprofits, experts, and public agencies to strengthen business models and market entry. Synnefa and Solidaridad were selected from this cohort to scale solar drying in Kenya.
The Synnefa-Solidaridad effort addresses a persistent bottleneck in African agriculture with measurable performance gains. By pairing finance, technology, training, and policy advocacy, the program targets both adoption and durability. If scale targets are met, the initiative could materially reduce losses, raise incomes, and anchor export growth.