From Farm to Market: Tackling Value Chain Inefficiencies with Decentralized Renewable Energy in Uganda and Ethiopia

Uganda and Ethiopia are agrarian economies: agricultural performance is central to national development. Uganda has a population of about 50 million people, and Ethiopia has about 120 million. Both are mostly young, rural= populations: roughly 3 quarters of citizens live in rural areas, and agriculture is the main source of employment (Gashaye, Liu, & Li, 2025; World Bank, 2025). Agriculture contributes 24% of GDP and 68% of employment in Uganda (ITA, 2023), and about 30% of GDP and nearly 80% of employment.

Uganda and Ethiopia are agrarian economies: agricultural performance is central to national development. Uganda has a population of about 50 million people, and Ethiopia has about 120 million. Both are mostly young, rural populations: roughly 3 quarters of citizens live in rural areas, and agriculture is the main source of employment= (Gashaye, Liu, & Li, 2025; World Bank, 2025).