Kenyan agri-technology firm Synnefa has secured a US$300,000 grant from the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) initiative to deploy IoT-enabled solar drying systems for smallholder farmers in Kenya.
The grant, awarded in partnership with the Dutch-based supply-chain NGO Solidaridad, is earmarked for the rollout of smart solar dryers in Kenya’s Makueni County. Under the programme, Synnefa will deploy the systems to approximately 800 smallholder farmers, aiming to cut drying times to two- to three-day cycles and reduce post-harvest losses by some 45 % in targeted crops.
Synnefa’s technology combines solar-powered drying chambers with IoT sensors that monitor parameters such as temperature, humidity and airflow. The company says the system enables safer, faster drying of fruits, grains, vegetables and coffee—helping farmers avoid the extended drying periods and crop contamination common under traditional open-air methods.
Founded in 2019 and led by founder Stanley Kirui, Synnefa already supports more than 7,000 farmers across Kenya and aims to raise US$2 million in seed funding by 2026 to scale to 150,000 farmers across East Africa.
Synnefa said the new funding will be used both to scale deployment and to train cooperatives and youth enterprises to operate the drying units under rent-to-own or “dry-as-a-service” business models. Solidaridad will lead capacity-building efforts and policy advocacy on supportive incentives for post-harvest infrastructure.
Analysts note that post-harvest losses are a significant challenge in Kenya’s agricultural sector, and solutions combining hardware, software and inclusive financing, as this partnership proposes, are increasingly viewed as critical for improving yield, quality and farmer incomes.
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