Solar-powered cold storage technology to reduce post-harvest food loss in Africa
Post-harvest loss presents a major challenge for many countries in Africa. FAO estimates that 30% of the food produced for human consumption globally is either lost or wasted in the food supply chain from harvest through retail and consumption stages. Additionally, UNEP finds that 15% of the food-waste-related CO2 emissions come from inefficiencies in post-harvest cold chain systems. In Africa, post-harvest loss contributes significantly to food insecurity, disproportionately impacting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women. In Nigeria, a staggering 50% of the harvest is wasted due to insufficient cold storage facilities, while in Rwanda, this figure is more than 40% for horticultural produce. Much of the post-harvest produce is lost while transporting them from rural areas to urban markets, and this is particularly a challenge for smallholder farmers. Climate change exacerbates post-harvest food losses as increasing temperatures accelerate the ripening of harvest. Rising temperatures also impact the effectiveness of traditional storage systems, transportation, and other existing infrastructures. Investing in sustainable cooling technologies is therefore critical as it can significantly slow down the rate of deterioration and preserve produce.
African start-ups have been pioneering innovative, technology-driven solutions to build cold storage facilities. For example, SokoFresh, a Nairobi-based startup founded in 2019, provides smallholder farmers with solar-powered, off-grid mobile cold storage facilities. These facilities comprise solar panel sensors, a condensing unit, and an evaporator with a temperature of 4-15 degrees Celsius. The cold storage units can be rented on a short or long-term basis, even in very remote areas, and real-time room conditions can be monitored through a mobile device. To complement its efforts, SokoFresh has also developed a digital market platform to integrate small-and medium-scale farmers into professional value chains, helping them secure better prices. A similar enterprise is Cold Hubs, a Nigeria-based startup launched in 2015, that offers solar-powered off-grid cold storage rooms. ColdHubs are installed in some of the major markets and farms in Nigeria, where farmers can store their produce in the cold storage rooms. ColdHubs storage has the potential to extend the shelf life of perishable food from 2 days to 21 days. Solar panels with high-capacity batteries are placed on the roofs of the cold storage units, which feed the refrigerating unit 24/7, making the cold storage rooms reliable and cost-effective. ColdHubs have been installed in 22 states across the country, and more than 5,250 smallholder farmers and users have benefited.
SokoFresh and ColdHubs demonstrate the potential to scale across many countries in Africa that receive an abundance of sunlight throughout the year. In its next phase, ColdHubs is developing technology to freeze produce to address the needs of fishing communities in the Niger Delta. As private investment in renewable energy continues to gain momentum, scaling up off-grid cooling technology for agriculture and other sectors can significantly improve the livelihoods of farmers in Africa and help cultivate a more climate-resilient and food-secure future.
