What is at the intersection between communities, technology, and financing? In global conversations about climate resilience, food security, renewable energy, and inequality, words have never been in short supply. Throughout the past several decades, political leaders continue to make commitments to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet for the communities around the world that are living on the frontlines of intertwined crises, the distance between words and action can feel vast. According to the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, globally 2.3 billion people are facing moderate to severe food insecurity. Hunger is rising in Africa, with over 20% of the population, or 307 million, undernourished – and, if current trends persist, nearly 60% of the world’s hunger in 2030 will be in Africa.
Throughout the launch event for the April 10th “African Agrivoltaics Platform Initiative” at OECD’s Headquarters, as the UN Joint SDG Fund’s Youth Delegate on Agrivoltaics I heard firsthand that the most urgent action is not happening in conference rooms but in the fields and communities where people are building solutions and initiatives to propel change and action. At the same time, these solutions require technologies and financing to fuel the significant impact that can transform these communities. As Ambassador Dr. Kasera Achayo, the Deputy Permanent Delegate to UNESCO for the Republic of Kenya, said “We need to really look at different ways of the way we can do our agriculture.”
One such technology is “agrivoltaics” which may sound highly technical but simply means that solar panels are installed above agricultural land, allowing communities to simultaneously harvest energy, grow food, and conserve water on the same plot of land. As Chris Hegadorn, President of the Consortium for Sustainable Agrivoltaics added, this innovation “is a way to help farmers improve their livelihoods through dual income streams,” describing the impact on the community level.
Community-Led Initiatives
The commitment to finding solutions to urgent problems was vocalized by community leaders themselves throughout the launch. Community-led initiatives are at the heart of this work, because as Chris Hegadorn and participants in the launch event emphasized, agrivoltaics will only succeed in Africa if it is designed with, not for, rural communities. Land is not merely an economic asset, it is the meeting point of social, cultural, and political contexts.
That reality must be the starting point. I interviewed Ambassador Achayo from Kenya, who shared their local realities and their hopes that their efforts can be strengthened by bringing on board technological solutions such as agrivoltaics. From there, they can pinpoint local challenges such as the need for drought resistant crops, protection against theft or damage, and long-term maintenance.
The Importance of Innovation and Technology
If discussions around climate change and action seem to get stuck in endless discussions, innovation is one way to get us moving towards action. The PV article explains the details of agrivoltaics, its functions, and its use; it can reduce evapo-transpiration, moderate soil temperatures, improve water efficiency and conserve biodiversity. Furthermore, energy through solar instead of diesel is more reliable and predictable, which is crucial at a time when fuel prices are soaring while prices for solar reaches new lows. Rather than treating food production as competing claims on scarce land, agrivoltaics turn potential trade-offs into synergies, increasing land productivity rather than dividing it. The creation of these innovations expand on the deep commitment to finding and learning from technological solutions around the world, to integrate and improve the livelihoods of communities impacted by climate change.
The Power of Partnerships
Throughout the launch, I felt a certain sense of hope that together, the combined action of communities and technology can actually make a real difference in tackling the impact of climate change. But a third reality - partnership - is equally essential. And while urgent solutions are needed as communities grapple with the real-time effects of conflict and climate, there is another difficult reality: the complexity of financing for the agrivoltaics platform. When interviewed, Chris Hegadorn was candid about this: agrivoltaic projects, by their nature, straddle sectors that are traditionally financed separately. “Financing for these projects is complicated. Foreign direct investments in this area are relatively small. Donor aid has been shrinking. So we are exploring with this platform and this initiative how we can use blended finance tools to facilitate growth.” In practice, by exploring the blended finance tools where development funding can absorb early stage risks and reduce barriers for private sector capital to enter, could make it more feasible for commercial investors to participate at scale.
What also became clear is that this initiative is more important now than ever, with the increasingly stark evidence of climate change impacting vulnerable communities in Africa. Being present at the conference allowed me to observe a genuine commitment to actions that can and will transform communities in Africa moving forward. It is through the cumulative action from all aspects – community, public and private sector investments – that will accelerate impact and change to the lives of farmers and communities in Africa through agrivoltaics.
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