With nearly half of fresh produce lost before reaching markets, linking renewable energy to agriculture could unlock resilience, investment, and national leadership.
In many parts of the world, “food waste” only means not finishing what is on your plate. Grocery shelves are full, refrigerators stay reliably cold, and farmers’ markets overflow with fresh produce. In such places, few people ever stop to wonder whether supermarket freezers will be running or whether fruit at the market will still be fresh when they arrive. The systems behind it all work with such reliability that they seem invisible.
Here in Nigeria, the reality is far more fragile. Much of the country’s food loss occurs long before it reaches the table. Crops spoil in fields, markets, and trucks because of unreliable power and inadequate storage and preservation systems that should protect them. These daily losses are reflected in the struggles of farmers, widespread hunger, and deepening food insecurity across the nation. The paradox is quite painful: the same blazing sun that withers tomatoes and spoils meats by the end of the day is also the very resource that could preserve them. If harnessed properly, we would see hunger reduced, farmers empowered, and food insecurity eased across the country.
The scale of the crisis
Studies show that 40-50 per cent of fresh fruits and vegetables in Nigeria never make it from farm to market. That is, about four or five bags out of every ten lost along the way. What does arrive often costs more, not because food is scarce, but because farmers and traders pass along the high price of diesel used to power generators, along with losses from spoiled goods. Waste drives up prices, families pay more even as harvests rot, and millions go hungry simply because they cannot afford what is available. The World Food Programme estimates that more than 30 million Nigerians face acute food insecurity, with broken energy systems playing a major role.
These numbers are not just statistics. They show up in the mother who bargains for bruised vegetables at the market, the farmer who watches half his harvest spoil before it can be sold, and the child who goes to bed hungry while food rots in a nearby field. A simple trip to the market becomes a gamble. By midday, produce may already be wilting after hours in the heat. If it has, will the price drop, or will it rise even higher? Small anxieties like these reveal a larger truth that without reliable power, abundance cannot last. Reliable power is the bedrock of our nation’s food crisis.
The solution: agro-renewables
There is a way forward. Clean energy applied directly to agriculture, or what I call agro-renewables, can break this cycle. The very sunlight that spoils crops can become the power that saves them. Think solar-powered cold storage, grain dryers, irrigation systems, and processing units. These innovations exist and are proving what is possible; we just need more.
Early models of solar-powered cold storage in Nigerian markets are already demonstrating their impact. Farmers who once sold at a loss can now store produce overnight and sell the next day, often doubling their incomes while significantly reducing spoilage. Commercial agro-processors are also adding solar to their energy mix, which reduces reliance on diesel and helps cushion them from an unreliable grid. This keeps production steady and frees up margins that would otherwise be lost to fuel costs and downtime.
Solar mini-grids tell a similar story. While they often serve households, their greatest impact is on “productive users” such as farmers, processors, and shop owners, who make up about 80 per cent of mini-grid revenue. These users consistently report higher productivity, bigger profit margins, and better quality of life. Recognising this potential, the government launched the REA’s DARES programme to expand renewable mini-grids nationwide with a focus on productive use. If implemented ambitiously, programs like DARES could anchor agro-renewables as a national strategy for food security.
The lesson here is clear: when renewable energy is applied to food systems, crops last longer, farmers earn more, families eat better, and entire communities thrive.
Why policy matters
To truly break this cycle, leadership from the top is essential. Fortunately, Nigeria already has frameworks such as the Energy Transition Plan, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy, and the Climate Change Act. However, these policies rarely connect energy with food security.
The next step is alignment, making sure that renewable energy investments also strengthen agriculture and secure the nation’s food supply. For farmers and market women, such alignment could mean harvests that last longer, food that sells at fairer prices, and families that no longer go hungry while produce rots nearby.
The REA’s DARES programme has already shown that when incentives and delivery mechanisms are clear, renewable projects can reach underserved communities at scale. With the right policy direction, agro-renewables can be mainstreamed into national development.
Countries across Africa and Asia are already proving how renewable energy can strengthen food systems and attract billions in investment. Nigeria, with its land, farmers, and abundant sunlight, has the potential not just to follow but to lead.
Nigeria’s chance to lead
Leadership in this moment would mean embedding agro-renewables into both the Food Security Agenda and the Energy Transition Plan, with financing directed toward cold storage, irrigation, and processing where the impact is greatest. It would also mean placing women at the center of this effort. In Nigeria, women make up nearly 60-79 per cent of the agricultural labor force, yet they often have less access to land, credit, and technology. Ensuring equal access to training, financing, and renewable-powered solutions would boost productivity and strengthen food security for entire communities.
This is also the ambition of Elektron Renewables, which aims to become a leading agro-allied solutions provider, focusing on reducing food insecurity and driving economic development. By linking energy directly to food systems, Nigeria can demonstrate what climate-smart development looks like in practice. With COP30 on the horizon, the country has an opportunity to present its Energy Transition Plan as a roadmap for resilient, food-secure communities powered by clean energy. This would not only benefit Nigerians at home but also position the country as a leader in showing how climate action can support development across Africa.
A call to act together
Agro-renewables are not a silver bullet, but they are among the most practical and scalable tools for fighting hunger, raising incomes, and reducing emissions. The technologies already exist. The challenge now is to connect, scale, and make them accessible where they are needed most.
Government can align food and energy policies and set clear incentives. Investors can direct more finance into value-chain infrastructure where both social and financial returns are strong. Communities can be supported with training, affordable credit, and inclusive programs that place smallholders and women at the center of progress.
Through this, the prize is a Nigeria where farmers thrive, families eat, and the sun becomes our greatest ally.
Ayodele is project manager at Elektron Renewables.
