Joint EU-AU synthesis report on the business models research

D12.6 of LEAP-RE Smallholder farmers are for all intensive purposes the breadbasket of sub-Saharan Africa. They are responsible for 80% of the region?s agricultural output. Despite their critically important role, they are largely neglected, often living outside the reach ofcritical infrastructure. Electricity, which plays a vital role in agricultural productivity, remains especially elusive. 80% of the region?s rural population are smallholder farmers and only 29% of this population has access to electricity. This reportproposes a demand-led approach to designing off-grid rural electrification interventions in an effort to facilitate distributed renewable energy (DRE) business models that can accelerate the pace of electrification. It places the smallholder farmer at the centre ? assessing financial viability of acquiring solar water pumps and agro-processing equipment from the perspective of the farmer and determining the suitability of different off-grid DRE technologies (standalone solar and mini-grids) depending on the activity to be electrified.