SunCulture, a Kenyan startup focusing on climate-friendly technology, has secured $12 million to improve its solar-powered irrigation solution in sub-Saharan Africa.
This funding aims to provide hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers with access to solar-powered irrigation systems that use Internet-of-Things technology by the year 2030.
The investment comes from InfraCo Africa, a subsidiary of PIDG, and Savant Group Ltd., along with other notable investors like Acumen Funds, Reed Hastings (the co-founder of Netflix), and Eric Schmidt (former CEO and Chairman of Google).
This round of funding, known as Series B, includes various types of financial support such as equity, debt, grants, and carbon financing.
In total, SunCulture has now raised $65 million since its inception. The company’s ultimate goal is to raise $219 million to install 274,000 solar irrigation systems across Kenya.
Samir Ibrahim, the CEO of SunCulture, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with investors and their shared objectives.
SunCulture aims to help farmers increase their productivity by providing them with sustainable alternatives to traditional irrigation methods, such as rainfed agriculture or diesel-powered pumps.
The company offers small-scale farmers solar-powered water pumps, which are subsidised by the sale of carbon credits. These pumps are designed for small plots of land and can pump up to 1,200 litres of water per hour.
SunCulture operates in Kenya, Uganda, and Ivory Coast, with distribution agreements in Ethiopia, Zambia, and Togo, using a “Pay-As-You-Grow” model.
Currently, only a small percentage of African farmers have access to irrigation, leading to reduced production and dependency on weather conditions.
SunCulture believes that irrigation technology, despite its lack of glamour, can significantly increase yields. To date, the company has sold 47,000 solar-powered irrigation units and plans to expand its services to include soil testing and insurance.
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