247
247
PV capacity (kWp)
10,212
10,212
10,212
lives impacted
20
20
jobs created in
last-mile rural communities
29%
29%
29%
increase in users'
agricultural income in 1 year
656
656
656
tonnes CO2eq saved
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Ram Bahori
Pump Operator
Productive Power for Smallholder Farmers
Oorja shortlisted for the 2022 Energising Agriculture Ashden Award
This award recognises our innovation bridging the gap between the agriculture and energy access sectors.
To can see the full shortlist, visit:
In this project, training modules will be developed to mobilise and train 500 small and marginal farmers to grow high-value crops and increase their agricultural income. Simultaneously, 50 women farmers or "Krishi Sakhis" will be empowered to assist in daily operation and maintenance of agricultural technologies.
Read the full press release here.
Oorja among UN Best Small Business winners
Selected from nearly 2,000 applications from 135 countries, the 50 winners all showcase inspiring, diverse, and impactful solutions in improving access to healthy, sustainable food. They will also share US$100,000 in cash prizes. Read more about the hidden heroes of our food systems here.
Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) Grand Challenge Awardees Announced
Oorja was selected among the 15 winners of the WE4F South and Southeast Asia Grant Challenge. WE4F supports innovations in water, energy and food and will invest $180,000 in expanding Oorja's Agri-Energy services across northern India in 2021-22. WE4F is an international partnership supported by USAID, the European Union, and international development agencies of Germany, Sweden and The Netherlands.
Cisco's new video highlights the benefit of our "Oonnati" irrigation service for smallholder farmers.
About us
We are a Farming as a service (FaaS) company working at the intersection between agriculture and clean energy. We provide irrigation, milling and cooling services to smallholder farmers on a pay-per-use basis.
We finance and install decentralised solar energy systems at the farm level. There is no upfront cost charged to end-users.
We operate and maintain these solar systems for their full lifetime.
We sell reliable and affordable farming services powered by solar energy to farmers. Our business model is pay-per-use. This means users pay according to the amount of irrigation water pumped, produce milled or stored.
Our farming services
❄️ Cooling as a service.
Available at the farm or market gate on a per-crate-per-day basis.
How we work
Finance
We raise finance for the company to invest in community-scale agri infrastructure. This is typically blended capital.
Site identification
We identify or receive referrals for potential project sites where smallholder farmers rely on diesel power for their energy needs.
Demand assessment
Our ground team conducts farmer consultation to assess demand for our services. We form groups of interested farmers and may collect membership fees from them.
Installation
We procure equipment from reputed domestic suppliers and complete civil works, installation testing and commissioning of solar systems.
Service delivery
We hire an Operator from the local community and train them to deliver irrigation, milling or cooling services and maintain a sales register.
Paying-per-use
Customers pay the Operator based on their consumption at affordable tariffs. For example, irrigation is paid per litre based on a flowmeter.
Ops and maintenance
Our ground team conducts regular maintenance and repairs, ensuring services are hassle-free and keeping our customers happy.
Monitoring
We monitor project performance and collect annual impact data. This helps us to assess the economic, social and environmental benefits.
Impact
We are aligned to 5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Access to affordable, reliable energy is fundamental to economic activity and poverty alleviation. It enables people to use appliances and machines that help them to seek better livelihoods, increase their food security, access quality education, breathe cleaner air and live in a cleaner environment, and lead lives of greater dignity and less hard labour. Oorja's services are designed to transform the lives of low-income communities, notably small and marginal farmers, low-income households and women farmers, by significantly increasing income when linked to productive activities at their farm. Displacing diesel - a fossil fuel - in favour of solar energy also delivers significant carbon emissions savings.
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