DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Testing of new designed highly efficient small Solar fridges for Africa

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Description

Problem Statement Most SSA countries suffer food shortages and malnutrition (36% under-fives are stunted in Africa, with highest-prevalence in East Africa). 54% of under-five's mortality is due to malnutrition and related complications. Uganda's milk consumption is 65litres/annum, well below WHO recommendations (210litres/annum) In order to expand agricultural production and reduce wastage by the Productive Use of Energy (PUE), off-grid fridges are urgently needed in rural areas where grid expansion is not economically viable. Most (\>90%) dairy production is provided by smallholder farmers (with <5 cows each). Unlit roads and lack of refrigeration mean that the night milking (50% of production) cannot be sold in the formal milk-chain and either feeds the family, local people (unpasteurised and hence less safe) or is wasted together with milk which arrives at the depot with too high a bacterial content. As the Government expands breeding programmes to cross-breed local varieties with European high-yield strains, this wastage weakens the economic viability for such programmes and does not help farmers already too far from collection centres, lessening the impact of such modern livestock management programmes. Outcomes We will design and test a suit of solar-powered, high-efficiency fridges. These off grid powered cooling solutions will improve small-holders dairy revenue and offer retail opportunities for food & drink sales, hence increasing farmers' livelihoods, increasing the value of milk products Increasing the "life" of foods and drinks decreasing malnutrition. We will use phase-change materials and high insulation to eliminate batteries from the fridges, reducing power costs, and allowing us to develop cost-effective refrigeration units. Longer storage times will reduce milk wastage and allow more remote farms to sell the milk. Uganda already has twice the milk processing capacity compared to its current milk collection volume. Solar powered phase-change refrigerators in shops will increase dairy and meat sales in rural areas where malnutrition is concentrated. Women are already active in the dairy production chain but are under-represented in some higher value jobs, especially in milk transportation and at management levels in the farmer-owned milk cooperatives. We seek to change this through training; and developing ergonomically designed products with their needs in mind at the follow on pilot/field trial stage (via future funding). Our solutions are zero-net-carbon solutions, with no recourse to using scarce unsustainable resources. This project will demonstrate that increasing nutrition and reaching net-zero-carbon products are not mutually exclusive. This project benefits both targets.

Objectives

Problem Statement Most SSA countries suffer food shortages and malnutrition (36% under-fives are stunted in Africa, with highest-prevalence in East Africa). 54% of under-five's mortality is due to malnutrition and related complications. Uganda's milk consumption is 65litres/annum, well below WHO recommendations (210litres/annum) In order to expand agricultural production and reduce wastage by the Productive Use of Energy (PUE), off-grid fridges are urgently needed in rural areas where grid expansion is not economically viable. Most (\>90%) dairy production is provided by smallholder farmers (with <5 cows each). Unlit roads and lack of refrigeration mean that the night milking (50% of production) cannot be sold in the formal milk-chain and either feeds the family, local people (unpasteurised and hence less safe) or is wasted together with milk which arrives at the depot with too high a bacterial content. As the Government expands breeding programmes to cross-breed local varieties with European high-yield strains, this wastage weakens the economic viability for such programmes and does not help farmers already too far from collection centres, lessening the impact of such modern livestock management programmes. Outcomes We will design and test a suit of solar-powered, high-efficiency fridges. These off grid powered cooling solutions will improve small-holders dairy revenue and offer retail opportunities for food & drink sales, hence increasing farmers' livelihoods, increasing the value of milk products Increasing the "life" of foods and drinks decreasing malnutrition. We will use phase-change materials and high insulation to eliminate batteries from the fridges, reducing power costs, and allowing us to develop cost-effective refrigeration units. Longer storage times will reduce milk wastage and allow more remote farms to sell the milk. Uganda already has twice the milk processing capacity compared to its current milk collection volume. Solar powered phase-change refrigerators in shops will increase dairy and meat sales in rural areas where malnutrition is concentrated. Women are already active in the dairy production chain but are under-represented in some higher value jobs, especially in milk transportation and at management levels in the farmer-owned milk cooperatives. We seek to change this through training; and developing ergonomically designed products with their needs in mind at the follow on pilot/field trial stage (via future funding). Our solutions are zero-net-carbon solutions, with no recourse to using scarce unsustainable resources. This project will demonstrate that increasing nutrition and reaching net-zero-carbon products are not mutually exclusive. This project benefits both targets.

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Location

The country, countries or regions that benefit from this Programme.

Uganda

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