Volkswagen launches pilot modern farming with e-tractors in Rwanda

The GenFarm Project located at Gashora in eastern Rwanda’s Bugesera district, is a holistic ecosystem of e-powered mechanized farming service for rural areas in Africa that is reliable, sustainable and environmentally friendly, the company said in a statement.

Martina Biene, Volkswagen Group Africa chairperson and managing director said as the company grows its footprint in Africa it regards Rwanda as a key growth market.

“This project demonstrates our commitment to sustainable practices and highlights our ability to provide mobility solutions to the rural community in addition to the urban community. The GenFarm Project fosters technological innovation,” Biene said.

The project is piloted in Rwanda in partnership with Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda and Volkswagen Group Innovation Center Europe.

The empowerment hub (e-hub), currently a pre-hub built around specifically equipped standard containers while in the initial phase, will be a key component of the GenFarm.

Preparation for the construction of the actual e-hub is undergoing and is expected to be operational by the first half of 2025, according to the statement.

Equipped with photovoltaic power system and energy storage system, the e-hub will supply clean energy, storage space and business space to cooperatives, including space for their service operations, e-tractor services and e-scooter service.

Volkswagen Group Innovation Center Europe supplies the e-tractors and provides equipment for the project from Germany.

Nikolai Ardey, the managing director of Volkswagen Group Innovation said the aim is 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.