Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt
- Shifra Ainomugisha built Solafam Uganda after seeing her family lose nearly half their tomato harvest before market.
- Her solar cold storage, irrigation systems and AI advice help farmers cut food losses and earn more money.
Nearly half of Shifra Ainomugisha’s family tomato harvest used to rot before it reached the market.
That loss pushed the Ugandan technology entrepreneur to build tools that help farmers save food and earn more money.
Shifra has now been named the 2026 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year.
She won the award for her work through Solafam Uganda Ltd, a social enterprise that uses solar power and artificial intelligence to support farmers, Africa Sustainability Matters reported.
The award was handed over at the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Awards in London.
Shifra was chosen from nearly 1,000 applicants from the Commonwealth’s 56 countries. She was also named the Africa regional winner for Sustainable Development Goal 2, which focuses on Zero Hunger.
Her work started with a problem she knew at home.
On her family’s tomato farm in Western Uganda, poor storage and weak farming support meant much of the harvest was lost before it could be sold.
Even though the family grew food, they still struggled to make enough money for basic needs, including school fees.
Solafam now works with three main tools.
Its solar-powered cold storage helps fresh produce last longer, so farmers do not have to sell quickly and cheaply after harvest.
Its solar irrigation systems reduce the need for costly diesel pumps and help farmers grow crops throughout the year.
The third tool is Lean AI, a WhatsApp-based platform that gives farmers real-time advice on planting, watering, pests, harvest handling and market access.
Solafam says its technology has cut post-harvest losses among participating farmers by about 30% and increased household incomes by nearly 28%.
The business is still focused in Uganda, but its model shows how renewable energy and digital tools can work together to improve farming.
Solafam is also adapting its platform to work through USSD, so farmers without smartphones can get farming information on basic cellphones.
Pictured above: Ugandan technology entrepreneur Shifra Ainomugisha has been named the 2026 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year.
Image source: Commonwealth_Sec/Instagram
