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Volkswagen Group Africa has begun a pilot project in Rwanda that will bring an e-powered mechanised farming service to rural areas in Africa.
The company said in a statement on Tuesday that operations started at its “multifunctional facility” in Gashora, about 60km from the capital Kigali, to “pilot modern farming” using e-tractors.
The Kariega-based German company said the GenFarm Project is a holistic ecosystem of e-powered mechanised farming service for rural areas in Africa that is reliable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Last June the Volkswagen Group Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Rwanda to provide land for the establishment of the GenFarm Project.
“We are growing our footprint in Africa and regard Rwanda as a key growth market,” said VW Group Africa chairperson and managing director, Martina Beine.
She said the project demonstrated their commitment to sustainable practices and highlights our ability to provide mobility solutions to the rural community in addition to the urban community currently serviced by their Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda business.
“The GenFarm Project fosters technological innovation and aligns with Volkswagen Group’s strategy to generate meaningful value for both society and the environment through sustainable mobility.”
The project is supported jointly by the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the company statement said.
The e-tractors will be supplied by Volkswagen Group Innovation Centre Europe, while Volkswagen Mobile Solutions Rwanda is the catalyst in operating the pilot hub and provides input and support to the operations.
The Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Innovation, Dr. Nikolai Ardey, said they want to offer various services in the empowerment hubs.
"Farmers can book an e-tractor including a trained driver for affordable sustainable farming. The unique selling point of the project is the use of the battery swap system. In this way, the battery becomes part of the hub's energy infrastructure as well as energy storage for the tractor,” said Ardey.
