The Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development initiative represents a partnership of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the Government of Sweden (Sida), the Government of Germany (BMZ), Duke Energy Corporation, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); collectively known as the ‘Founding Partners’. 

Powering Agriculture was launched in 2012 to support the development and deployment of clean energy innovations that stimulate low carbon economic growth within the agriculture sector of developing countries to help end extreme poverty and extreme hunger.

Powering Agriculture contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by supporting the following goals: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 (No Poverty),  SDG 2 (Zero Hunger/Sustainable Agriculture), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 8 (Economic Growth),  SDG 9 (Innovation), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Under its first and second Global Calls for Innovations in 2012 and 2014, Powering Agriculture provided over $30 million of funding and technical resources to a cohort of 24 innovators that are implementing innovations within the clean energy/agricultural nexus that: 1. Enhance agricultural yields/productivity; 2. Decrease post-harvest loss; 

3. Improve farmer and agribusiness income generating opportunities and revenues; or 4. Increase energy efficiency and associated savings within the operations of farms and agribusinesses – while stimulating low carbon economic growth within the agriculture sector of developing countries. 

One of the features required by all clean energy innovations selected for funding under Powering Agriculture is that the innovation must “contribute to reducing gender disparities in access to, control over and benefit from clean energy resources, wealth, opportunities and services: economic, social, political, and cultural”. Moreover, Powering Agriculture will not fund an innovation or implementation approach that can “reinforce harmful gender norms” within the target implementation area. 

This report summarizes Powering Agriculture’s innovators’ progress thus far in integrating gender considerations into their projects.