What is the name of your organization?
Synnefa
What is the name of your solution?
Synnefa
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Synnefa builds IoT-enabled smart solar dryers that reduce post-harvest losses and increase farmer incomes.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Nairobi
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
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What type of organization is your solution team?
For-Profit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Synnefa targets the problem of post-harvest losses and climate vulnerability affecting smallholder farmers in Africa, where 30–40% of harvests are lost after collection due to inadequate drying infrastructure and unpredictable weather — directly undermining food security and farmer incomes across the continent.
What is your solution?
Synnefa's smart solar dryers combine IoT sensors, AI-driven monitoring, and solar energy to reduce post-harvest losses by 25–45% for smallholder farmers across Africa. Powered by FarmShield™ IoT sensors, the dryers monitor temperature, humidity, and drying conditions in real time, alerting farmers and optimizing drying cycles. Deployed on a rent-to-own model, the dryers are accessible without upfront capital, with FarmCloud providing market linkage so farmers can sell dried produce at better prices. At Gititu Coffee Cooperative, drying time dropped from 10–14 days to 5–7 days. We now serve 6,000+ farmers across Kenya through B2B partnerships with enterprises and farmer cooperatives, with deployments validated by grant partnerships with Carbon Trust, Energy Savings Trust and Solidaridad.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Synnefa's smart solar dryers serve smallholder farmers in Africa — particularly coffee, maize, and vegetable growers — who lose 30–40% of their harvest post-collection due to inadequate drying infrastructure and climate-driven weather unpredictability. These farmers operate plots under 2 acres, rely on family labor, and have no access to formal drying facilities or capital to acquire them.
Our solution impacts their lives in three ways: it reduces post-harvest losses by 25–45%, keeping more harvest in the market; the rent-to-own model removes the capital barrier, with farmers paying from dryer-generated income; and FarmCloud connects farmers to buyers, enabling premium pricing for quality-graded dried produce instead of distressed wet-crop sales.
The result is income stability and climate resilience. At Gititu Coffee Cooperative, drying cycles dropped from 10–14 days to 5–7 days, directly improving farmer payouts.
