Solar Village - Zambia
Solar Village is a Norwegian company on a mission to improve African smallholder farmers´ yields and quality of life, with their multifunctional solar Battery Stick™. They develop, manufacture, distribute and finance smart solar energy solutions tailored to the needs and aspirations of African smallholder farmers.
Impact
Farmers get higher yields per hectare and increase their acreage where land is available by using Micron sprayers powered by our solar Battery Stick™ which makes their spraying practices more effective.
Farmers save costs on batteries, candles kerosene and phone charging fees. They also generate new income opportunities e.g by offering phone charging, lamp rental or spraying services.
About Solar Village
Solar Village is a Norwegian company on a mission to improve African smallholder farmers' yields and standard of living. They develop, manufacture, distribute and finance smart solar energy solutions tailored to the needs and aspirations of smallholder farmers in Africa. Their main product is the Battery Stick™. In the field, the Battery Stick™ powers two attractive herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide sprayers of Micron, a leading manufacturer of specialist sprayers and weed control equipment for a wide range of applications. These sprayers (Handy and Ulva+) have been developed specifically for the African smallholder user and are safe and highly labour and water saving. At home, the Battery Stick™ is a power source for a range of desirable household appliances (e.g. lamps, TV and fan), popular among smallholder farmers living off-grid. Our standard Battery Stick™ kit consists of the Battery Stick™ with a built-in torch, a 10W solar panel, an LED lamp and 6 USB phone charge connectors. Additional available accessories are: LED TV, USB fan and mini speaker, which give farmers increased comfort in their homes. Solar Village is currently active in Zambia, working among others with two large agribusinesses, Alliance Ginneries and Parrogate which organise approximately 100,000 outgrower cotton farmers.