TED Business Tech Solutions (#1): The affordable tech that will revolutionize farming (with Samir Ibrahim and Josephine Waweru)
Nov 10, 2025
Samir Ibrahim, CEO of SunCulture, discusses how the company develops affordable solar-powered irrigation systems for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. He highlights the importance of listening to farmers' needs and navigating early funding challenges. Josephine Waweru, a smallholder farmer from Kenya, shares her transformative experience after installing a solar pump. She reveals how it eliminated diesel costs, expanded her farm, and inspired neighbors to adopt the technology, all while encouraging young people to see farming as a viable opportunity.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Farmer-Centered Product Design
- SunCulture built products by asking farmers what they needed and iterating with them in the field.
- Combining engineering, financing, and carbon revenues made solar irrigation affordable over time.
Cost Cut By Tech And Business Innovation
- SunCulture reduced system cost from $5,000 to about $400 through tech and business-model innovation.
- They paired engineering changes with financing and carbon credit revenue to lower upfront prices.
Subsidize Cost With Diverse Revenue
- Use financing and alternate revenue streams like carbon credits to subsidize customer prices.
- Small price reductions dramatically increase adoption among price-sensitive smallholder farmers.