Green People’s Energy (GBE) supports the solar electrification of 24 mainly women-led dairy micro-enterprises in rural Senegal, thereby adding value to milk production, and reducing production waste for 200 farmers.
Dairy production in Senegal
In Senegal livestock breeding and dairy production are practiced by almost 30% of all households. However, in rural areas, many milk producing households lack the means to store and transform it due to a lack of energy access which leads to much production waste. Moreover, electrified industrial dairy transformation centers are struggling with milk supply shortages as the supply chains from individual producers to the transformation centers are underdeveloped. The result is that the country’s dairy production covers only short of 60% of its dairy consumption, leading to a dependency on imports in a value chain that could otherwise be satisfied by local production.
24 electrified dairy enterprises
GBE, in collaboration with ENDA Energie, supports rural milk producers organized as a cooperative in their solar electrification. The project aims to showcase efficient and income-generating dairy production, transformation and commercialization in the rural area of Gossas, Fatick Region in Western Senegal.
The project features the installation of a milk transformation and conservation platform powered by solar energy. The surplus energy from the installed solar panels for the platform will be used to electrify a small commercial center that offers services such as mobile money transfers, phone charging, or ice and cold drinks selling. The dairy products (yoghurt, cheese, pasteurized milk) will be sold via newly established local sales centers.
As a second intervention, the project seeks to reinforce the supply chain for the milk transformation platform. In order to ensure sufficient milk supply, the project foresees the establishment of a perimeter for fodder crops with a solar-irrigation system and the construction of a mini milk farm. Additionally to hosting dairy cows that will be bought through the project on behalf of the dairy cooperative, farmers can store or bring their cows to the farm for milking. The milk will be transported to the milk transformation platform and the farmers will in turn receive a compensation.
The commercial operation of the milk transformation platform, the milk farm and sales entities all enable the creation and reinforcement of 24 mainly women-led mini-enterprises. The entrepreneurs will be accompanied and supported through training in technical aspects and entrepreneurship. The enhancing of milk production and conservation means supports income stabilization and improvement for a minimum of 200 livestock farmers. In addition, the rural transformation and commercialization of dairy products helps reduce production waste.
GBE’s partner for this activity, Enda Energie, is an international NGO established in Senegal almost 50 years ago. One of its intervention areas is access to energy promotion in rural Senegal. With its project “PROGRES-Lait”, Enda Energie has already made experiences and developed use cases for the solar electrification of rural dairy production platforms in Senegal and Mauretania. For more information please click here.
