In 2025, Climate Investor One's Empower New Energy partnered with international non-profit Renewable World to deliver an initiative to enhance the livelihoods and household income of the fishing and farming communities of Kiumba Beach in Kenya's Homa Bay County.
The 7,500 inhabitants of Kiumba Beach rely largely on fishing and farming for their livelihood but lack the necessary facilities and access to market needed to maximise their returns. In particular, the lack of cold storage facilities mean produce spoil quickly and buyers set low prices. Other challenges faced by the communities include over-exploitation of fish stocks, inadequate investment in the sector, as well as lack of access to clean drinking water.
The Homa Bay Solar Livelihoods Project aims to establish and operationalise solutions to significantly reduce post-harvest losses and improve market access for fisherfolk and smallholder farmers in Kiumba Beach. This will involve installation of solar-powered cold storage and ice-making facilities to reduce post-harvest losses; skills development for fisherfolk, farmers and Beach Management Units to manage the facilities and improve produce handling; as well as a solar-powered water treatment unit to deliver safe and affordable drinking water.
The project will directly benefit 500 fisherfolk and smallholder farmers, the majority of them women, and 15 BMU members. Overall, 1,500 households will benefit from the economic upliftment of fisherfolk and farmers in Kiumba Beach.
