This data collection provides the crop, energy, water and environmental data collected and analyses as part of the "Harvesting the sun twice" agrivoltaics project in East Africa. Developing agrivoltaic (AV) systems combining energy and food production provides multiple socio-economic, livelihood, and ecological benefits, extending well beyond technology and electrification. As AV systems are climate change resilient, reduce evapotranspiration, mitigate drought stresses and enhance crop growth, ultimate goal of the project was to increase energy, food, water and land use security, benefiting the individuals who live and work in rural East African communities.Access to energy is a widespread problem across East Africa, where 73% of the population still do not have reliable electricity. Proving secure and affordable energy infrastructure is crucial to promoting inclusive development of rural communities in this region, and solar power is a sustainable way of achieving this. However, ground mounted arrays of solar panels also remove land from food production at a time when crop yields are threatened by a changing climate and increasing populations, insecure ownership and land "grabbing" are putting pressure on land resources. In practice, economic growth linked to conventional solar arrays may be outweighed by reduced income from crop production and greater food insecurity. Renewable energy technologies which resolve energy, climate and land security conflicts are urgently needed. So called agrivoltiac (AV) systems permit the delivery of solar electricity, crop production, and rainwater harvesting on the same land area. Instead of being ground mounted, arrays are several meters high, enabling crops to be grown underneath. In locations with high light intensity, high temperature, and low rainfall, such as many places in East Africa, the productivity of crops grown beneath these elevated solar arrays can be significantly improved because shade from the panels creates a more favourable growing environment with reduced heat stress and water loss. This more favourable environment for plants means the range of crops can be extended to higher-value ones, which can improve farmer incomes in disadvantaged rural communities. Crops may also be grown in locations previously unsuitable, further increasing food supplies and revenue sources. Working with African solar developers and a Kenyan agribusiness company, as well as non-governmental organisations, regional political organisations and local communities, we have identified case study sites in Kenya and Uganda where solar arrays are being installed and our interdisciplinary research can be conducted. The project aims to provide a real test case for the application and adaptation of AV systems to the needs of communities in Eastern Africa by: a) Identifying areas in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania that are most physically suitable (e.g. climate, existing land use, lack of energy access) for realising the benefits of AV systems and their uptake by communities. b) Field testing of AV systems in communities in Kenya & Uganda to provide data on resulting livelihood enhancement (increasing crop yield and farmer income, access to sustainable energy) as well as perceptions and attitudes of rural communities to AV systems. c) Using the data collected to develop a decision support tool for regional and national governments and NGOs to deliver AV systems effectively and in line with community needs. The findings from this project will reveal the potential this technology to lead to livelihood improved access to energy and increased incomes through production of higher-value crops, as well as the barriers within local communities to the uptake of AV systems. It will also show which economic, social, cultural and political factors help or hinder the expansion of AV systems in this region. We will assess how AV technology can best be co-designed with the users and seek input from national and regional policymakers to inform the potential rollout of AV systems across East Africa and potentially beyond.

Collection sites: lat. -6.7413, long. 37.5494, Tanzania; lat. -1.6850, long. 36.8308, Kenya. Crop data (onions, Swiss chard, sweet pepper, kale, eggplant, maize and beans) were collected and recorded during harvests between 2022 and 2023 by field technicians at the two fields sites in Kenya and Tanzania. Energy data were recorded via online readings from the Fronius Web portal. Irrigation data were recorded manually via water meters. Environmental data were recorded by field technicians using PAR and soil moisture sensors. Full methods are described in the associated experiment paper.