Strengthening post-harvest processes in Africa using improved solar drying

A drying technology (inflatable solar dryer, a.k.a. bubble dryer, balloon dryer or tunnel dryer) for fresh agricultural produce was developed by the University of Hohenheim, in partnership with an international consortium of CGIAR and private industry partners and is in various form commercially available. The technology is currently deployed for a limited number of value chains (most notably rice), but shows great potential to be adjusted for other value chains as well. With data collected from two different geographic regions (Burkina Faso and Ghana in West Africa and Kenya in East Africa) this project will identify practical low-cost modifications required for expanding the use of the inflatable solar dryer to other agricultural value chains (with women as main beneficiaries, at best). This diversification will improve the business scope, financial feasibility and agricultural market for the technology.