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November 4 - High on the agenda of the COP30 climate conference will be reducing emissions from agriculture and food systems, which are responsible for roughly a third of greenhouse gas emissions, consume 70% of the world’s freshwater, and are the primary causes of biodiversity loss. But food systems can't be transformed in isolation from the energy systems that power them. That’s because regenerative practices increase demand for irrigation, storage and processing, while only renewable energy can make those practices viable without a heavy cost to the planet. The prevailing model of input-heavy, fossil-fuel dependent agriculture has already reached its limits in high-income countries. But the stakes could not be higher in Africa, where a significant increase in food production will be required to feed a population projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. In Eastern Africa, for instance, most smallholders rely on rainfed production. Where irrigation is possible, it is often powered by diesel pumps. Without reliable energy for irrigation, processing or storage, farmers remain acutely vulnerable to erratic rainfall, limited crop diversity, soil degradation, and post-harvest losses. The challenge, then, is to meet Africa’s growing demand for food while staying within planetary boundaries. Alternative technologies and practices already exist. Solar PV module prices have fallen significantly over the last decade, making solar-powered irrigation under many circumstances more competitive with diesel. Biogas systems convert farm waste into fertiliser and clean energy. Cold storage, drying and many processing systems powered by renewables can extend shelf life and cut food losses. Regenerative farming practices – intercropping, cover crops, agroforestry – are already contributing to restoring soils in parts of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, and in the longer term can lead to increased yields. Taken together, these solutions point to a different model; one in which food systems regenerate rather than deplete, and where renewable energy replaces fossil fuels as the power source of production. The difficulty, then, is not availability but adoption. Farmers and starting enterprises face high upfront costs and limited access to credit. Advisory services are not equipped to support integrated approaches that span both agriculture and energy. Policies have long been made in sectoral silos. The result is a proliferation of promising pilots and small businesses that rarely add up to systemic change. However, there is a growing recognition of the need for holistic transformation. This is seen in the number of organisations working together through the Agri-Energy Coalition, a global alliance focused on integrating clean energy and food systems. Building on this momentum, our organisations, Dutch development agency SNV and the IKEA Foundation, have established the Power For Food Partnership, with a specific focus of connecting regenerative agriculture with the productive use of renewable energy. The premise is that the two systems are mutually reinforcing. If we are really to move towards action on the ground, rethinking and operationalising solutions through this nexus can reduce emissions, restore ecosystems, and improve resilience in ways that neither can achieve alone. With the first programmes launched in Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Kenya, the partnership is a commitment of 45 million euros for five years, and aims to leverage another 55 million euros in investments towards sustained impact. It works by identifying user-based (and not technology-driven) entry points where agriculture and energy intersect, and then addressing the barriers to adoption. This includes generating and sharing evidence on which models deliver results, strengthening the local ecosystem by building stronger linkages between farmers, small enterprises and markets, and piloting financial instruments such as pay-as-you-go solar or blended finance to lower costs of entry. Just as important, it involves embedding agriculture–energy nexus thinking in policy frameworks so that solutions are institutionalised, rather than dependent on donor projects. Lessons are shared to enable replication, and local actors are placed at the centre to ensure approaches remain context-specific and owned. The ambition is that by 2030, regenerative and renewable practices will no longer be marginal but mainstream, with farmers and agribusinesses adopting these models because they are affordable and profitable. It would mean governments, enterprises and financiers integrating the nexus into strategies and budgets, and crowding in once future-proof pathways to scale are visible. Most of all, it would mean food producers themselves – often women and youth excluded from decision-making – gain the agency and tools to sustain their livelihoods within planetary boundaries. Ultimately, the ambition is to build a set of connections and relationships that enable change to spread once the right conditions are in place. Farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises, governments, financiers and knowledge institutions each play a part, and when their actions converge and begin to reinforce one another, adoption accelerates. The partnership also builds on commitments from across Africa under CAADP and the Kampala Declaration, linking climate, biodiversity and development goals with practical delivery. Eastern Africa has the chance to leapfrog to a food system that is regenerative, renewable, and resilient. Partnerships such as ours will not deliver this shift on their own, but they help to create the conditions that pave the way for others to follow. Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias. Ethical Corporation Magazine, a part of Reuters Professional, is owned by Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. Judith Jacobs leads the Power for Food Partnership (P4FP) at Dutch development agency SNV. She has a background in inclusive agricultural development, systems thinking, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to connect food and energy systems, and previously spent 11 years at Wageningen University & Research as team leader for food systems governance. Ahmed Sameh is a programme manager at the IKEA Foundation, where he leads partnerships advancing the productive use of renewable energy in emerging markets. He has nearly two decades of experience in green entrepreneurship and social innovation across Africa and the Middle East, and holds a master’s degree in Social Entrepreneurship from Hult International Business School and a bachelor’s in Political Science from the American University in Cairo.
