Biogas firm eyes to boost 10,000 farmers after raising Sh1.2b

Social enterprise firm Sistema.bio, the largest biogas company in
Africa, has announced plans to impact 100,000 farmers in Kenya with biodigester technology over the next three years.

The move comes following the closure of Serie A Investment round worth Ksh 1.2 billion to drive Kenya growth. The round was led by international investors ENGIE RDE, EU Electrifi Fund, AlphaMundi, Triodos-Hivos Fund, Dila Capital, EcoEnterprises and other impact and commercial investors.

Sistema.bio Co-Founder and CEO Alex Eaton noted that Kenya’s focus on food security within the Big Four Agenda creates great opportunities for agricultural investments and clean energy.

“Sistema.bio is assembling the bioidigester technology locally, creating employment opportunities for hundreds of Kenyans, while educating farmers on the use of organic fertilizers in their farms, directly supporting the SDGs and the Big Four Agenda” said Eaton.

With the concerns of rising fuel costs, customers are looking to green energy. This reduces carbon emissions and promotes recycling of waste amongst farmers. Kenya aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030, in line with its commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

In a country that is heavily reliant on agriculture, its 2018 to 2022 action plan identifies the rise in global temperatures as a major threat to poverty reduction and sustainable
development. The awareness by farmers on the effects of global warming has driven an upsurge in demand for the Sistema.bio technology.

In 2017, the Sistema.bio Kenya office secured financing from the Kenya Climate Ventures, Factor[e] and the Shell Foundation to start up its Kenya operations. Sistema.bio Commercial Director Cedrick Todwell noted that since its launch the company has been able to positively improve the livelihoods of thousands of Kenyan farmers in five counties.

“Globally, East Africa represents our fastest growing market. In the last one and a half years of operations in East Africa, Sistema.bio Kenya changed the lives of over 12,000 farmers in Meru, Kiambu,
Kericho, Bomet and Eldoret,” said Todwell.

According to the World Bank, farmers perceive higher crop yields, reduced fuel consumption, and better overall economic performance with the use of biodigesters.

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Sistema.bio was recently nominated as a finalist for the prestigious Ashden Award for the best clean cooking solution of 2019. The highly prestigious Awards, a globally recognised mark of excellence in the sustainable energy sector, will announce the winners on July 3rd at London Climate Week.