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Oorja Development Solutions
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Co-Founded with Clementine Chambon
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2015 Climate Fellow
bold idea
Increase productivity and income of smallholder farmers and small businesses in off-grid and underelectrified communities in rural India by deploying decentralized clean energy systems to provide reliable and affordable irrigation, cold storage, and agro-processing services with no upfront cost.
organization overview
Oorja’s vision is to create economic opportunity, improve standards of living, and combat the climate emergency in rural agrarian communities. It provides integrated clean energy solutions for productive use to power income-generating appliances and replace diesel engines and motors along the agro-industrial value chain in off-grid and severely under-electrified BoP communities in rural India. It engineers, finances, installs, operates, and maintains decentralized energy systems and provides reliable and affordable pay-as-you-go solar irrigation, refrigeration, and agro-processing services to smallholder farmers and small businesses. There is no upfront cost barrier to end users, and they are able to access the three services year-round on demand, allowing them to intensify and diversify their crops, reduce wastage of perishable produce, and process their harvest. This helps increase their productivity and income and expand livelihood opportunities in their community, while saving significant greenhouse gas emissions. Oorja’s impact objectives are threefold: Reduce expenses on fossil fuels in favor of clean energy, increase productivity and income among smallholder farmers and small businesses, and mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from diesel motors.
Personal Bio
Amit Saraogi is Co-founder and CEO of Oorja, a Farming-as-a Service company working at the intersection of clean energy and sustainable agriculture with a mission to empower 1 million farmers globally by 2030 to increase their income and quality of life. He leads strategy building, business development, fundraising and operations. He is an ardent proponent for decentralised renewable energy and reshaping food systems for climate justice and social equity. He has global experience in business consulting, financial services, and development practice. He previously conducted multi-stakeholder primary research for UNICEF and a fellowship in social entrepreneurship bolstered his understanding of frameworks in social enterprise development, leading him to appreciate the role markets play in driving social change. He holds a master’s degree in international development from Columbia University. He is a recipient of the Opportunity Collaboration Fellowship 2024, SOCAP Entrepreneur Scholarship 2017 and was named as a finalist for the Waislitz Global Citizen Award 2021 and 100 Most Inspiring Social Entrepreneurs Around the World by Social Enablers in 2017. Amit is a 2015 Echoing Green Fellow.
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Impact Location ?
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