African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) farmers in Kenya are set to benefit two solar-powered cold storage projects being implemented by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service and North Carolina State University (NCSU).
The three-year program aims to boost productivity, curtail post-harvest losses, and amplify market access for the farmers further enhancing the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, with a particular emphasis on women and youth.
The first initiative will be a proof-of-concept project to establish the economic viability of large-scale, container-style solar-powered storage facilities.
These are intended to provide a consistent supply of quality Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) roots to primary markets and processors in Nairobi.
The second venture involves the purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance of two solar-powered container units.
These units will be used to store OFSP, African Indigenous Vegetables, onions, and other economically vital crops.
Climate-conscious
Cold storage is becoming increasingly important for resilience under climate change, highlighting the significance of science in adapting to changing global conditions. Additionally, using solar power makes it even more climate-conscious and environmentally friendly.
The project will offer technical guidance in the design of solar-powered cold storage facilities, the choice of location for installation, and the creation of training modules for Kenyan operators.
Supporting the program
To support this endeavor, the USDA and NCSU are partnering with the International Potato Center (CIP) in Kenya, and ACT/BTU, a US-based refrigeration and cooling company.
More collaborators in this initiative include international and local partners: INFICOLD, an institution in India responsible for producing the container units tailored under ACT/BTU’s guidance to satisfy project needs; Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), a Kenyan governmental agricultural research body tasked with the sustainable operation of the two cold storage units; a local farmer cooperative; and BARIDI, a Kenyan enterprise connecting agricultural cold chain stakeholders via solar-powered refrigeration.
BARIDI will collaborate with KALRO in the units’ operation and maintenance.
Cold storage units
The project will utilize the cold storage units developed in the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service project, situated in Kenyan counties covered by the same project.
Concurrently, CIP received a joint grant with FarmWorks from the Kenya Catalytic Job Fund. This financial support will enable them to acquire and test a third solar-powered cold storage container for sweet potato storage.
CIP will maintain its collaboration with ACT/BTU and BARIDI in managing and preserving the unit, but its primary objective will be to supply research data for FarmWorks.
The latter aspires to create clusters of mid-sized farms, collaborate with numerous small-holder farmers, and set up direct connections to both local and international markets
