The Mangwe Nexus Unit Climate Initiative is a social enterprise developing a solar-powered bioponic farming system for rural Zimbabwe, where climate change, water scarcity and limited electricity access have made conventional agriculture increasingly unreliable. The project aims to improve food production while reducing dependence on the electricity grid, synthetic fertilizers and fossil fuel-based agricultural inputs. It combines bioponic cultivation with a solar-biogas circular system. Livestock waste is converted into biogas for clean cooking and nutrient-rich effluent that replaces synthetic fertilizers in soil-less growing systems. The farming model uses up to 90% less water than conventional agriculture, relies on gravity-fed irrigation to minimise energy use, and plans to integrate solar-powered water pumps and automated nutrient delivery as the project expands. The initiative also trains rural youth to operate and maintain these technologies, building local technical capacity.

The highest costs include solar PV panels, batteries, biodigesters, pumps, training and implementation in rural communities. The pilot has been financed through seed funding from the BOOST Fellowship, supplemented by in-kind community contributions such as land and livestock waste. For future growth beyond reinvesting revenue from produce sales larger renewable energy grants are needed. Key challenges include the high upfront cost of solar and battery systems, transporting equipment to remote areas, water scarcity and encouraging farmers to adopt new production methods. The long-term vision is to establish 100 decentralized solar-bioponic hubs across Southern Africa, train more than 500 young people in renewable energy and circular agriculture, and create a scalable model for climate-resilient food production in off-grid communities.