In Nigeria and throughout Africa, agriculture continues to be one of the most important industries for both economic expansion and food security. However, it also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through wasteful and unsustainable energy use. Biogas and solar power are viable, scalable, and essential ways to clean up agriculture while increasing resilience and productivity as climate change worsens and the need to cut emissions increases.
By converting agricultural waste into usable energy, biogas provides a direct route to reducing emissions. Animal manure, crop residues, and food waste are examples of organic materials that are frequently burned or allowed to decompose in the open on farms throughout the continent. Both processes emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Biogas technology intercepts this process. By capturing methane through anaerobic digestion, biogas systems transform harmful emissions into clean energy that can be used for cooking, heating, electricity generation, and even powering agricultural machinery. Importantly, this reduces the need for firewood and charcoal, both of which contribute heavily to deforestation and CO₂ emissions. Furthermore, organic slurry, a byproduct of the production of biogas, can be utilised as a sustainable and efficient fertiliser, reducing the need for chemical fertilisers, which are costly and harmful to the environment to produce and apply.
Solar energy complements this solution by addressing another key source of agricultural emissions: fossil fuel-based power. Many farmers in rural areas depend on diesel generators to power irrigation systems, processing machines, and cold storage facilities. These generators emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide and are costly to operate due to fluctuating fuel prices. Solar power, on the other hand, is abundant, renewable, and clean. When deployed across farms and agribusinesses, solar energy systems can provide consistent power for irrigation, processing, refrigeration, and lighting without generating emissions. For example, solar-powered irrigation systems eliminate the need for diesel pumps, drastically reducing both carbon output and operational costs.
The combination of biogas and solar energy not only cuts emissions but also enhances food security and economic sustainability. Farmers gain reliable, low-cost energy sources that improve efficiency and reduce losses, particularly post-harvest. Solar-powered cold storage, for instance, allows perishable produce to last longer, improving farmers’ access to markets and reducing food waste. Similarly, biogas systems reduce dependence on external energy sources and provide a closed-loop model where waste is converted into value. This energy independence is vital for resilience, especially as climate-related disruptions become more frequent.
The use of these technologies in Nigeria and throughout Africa is still quite low, despite their obvious advantages. The obstacles are well known and include limited technical capacity for installation and maintenance, a lack of financing options for smallholder farmers, and a lack of awareness of the advantages. Governments, the commercial sector, and development partners must work together to address these issues. It is imperative that policy frameworks provide clean energy in agriculture with tax breaks, subsidies, and regulatory support. Small-scale farmers can afford technology through financing models like pay-as-you-go or microcredit programs.
Additionally, training and capacity-building programs can ensure that farmers and technicians are equipped to deploy, use, and maintain these systems effectively.
Bold action on emissions is essential to Africa’s transition to a sustainable agricultural future. Solar energy and biogas are accessible technologies that have already shown success where they have been implemented; they are neither futuristic nor overly ambitious concepts. Now, political will, scale, and support are required. Nigeria and Africa can change their agricultural systems from contributing to climate change to addressing it by adopting these solutions, which will promote economic empowerment and environmental preservation throughout the continent.
Nigeria may set the example. The nation has everything it needs to become a continental leader in green agriculture, including more than 70 million hectares of arable land, a growing population, and an abundance of solar radiation. We can lower emissions, improve food security, generate employment, and develop climate-resilient communities throughout Africa by integrating biogas and solar energy into agricultural policy and practice.
Clean energy is the key to the continent’s agricultural future. We need to embrace it now.
