Evaporative cooling devices have promise for helping small-scale farmers, market vendors, and families store and preserve vegetables.
MIT D-Lab, in partnership with the World Vegetable Center, conducted an evaluation of technologies designed to improve the storage of vegetables using evaporative cooling. The methodologies used included interviews with users of the cooling and storage technologies, interviews with stakeholders along the vegetable supply chain, and sensors to monitor product performance parameters. The study took place in Mali, where the World Vegetable Center is engaged in ongoing work with horticulture cooperatives and farmers.
Suitable cooling and storage technologies have the potential to prevent food loss (thereby increasing access to nutritious foods), strengthen the perishable food supply chain, and create opportunities for additional income generation. Because these designs for cooling chambers work with the natural cooling processes of evaporation, they are well suited for regions where electricity is either not available or not affordable.
Evaporative Cooling Technologies for Improved Vegetable Storage Downloads
Research Report: "Evaporative Cooling Technologies for Improved Vegetable Storage in Mali”
The surveys and data collected from this research are available on DSpace@MIT
Contact
Eric Verploegen, Research Engineer, Food-Water-Energy Lead