Case Study: Simusolar achieves faster irrigation and higher farmer incomes with Dropbox

How farmers in Tanzania are using solar energy to invigorate their economy

Simusolar, based in Mwanza, Tanzania, builds solar-powered equipment for smallholder farmers and fishers to tackle the region’s climate and infrastructure challenges. In an economy where 85% work in agriculture but only about 2% have proper irrigation, frequent droughts, kerosene-dependent tools and subsistence farming leave communities vulnerable and low-income.

Simusolar sells solar pumps and lanterns with creative financing, cutting irrigation time (from five hours to about 1.5) and enabling farmers to shift to market-oriented agribusiness. The result: farms expanding rapidly (one quarter-acre to three acres in months), safer and greener operations, and nearly 20,000 customers helped — many lifted above the poverty line — with plans to scale across sub‑Saharan Africa.

Simusolar

Arnold Mlokozi

Agronomist