A group of social entrepreneurs are helping farmers in Cote D’Ivoire avoid losing part of their harvest, by providing solar-powered refrigeration for their crops.
In Cote D’Ivoire, post-harvest losses of the country’s main agricultural crops range from 27 percent to 50 percent losses for tubers and bananas and up to 16 percent losses for grains according to a Food and Agriculture Organization report.
Cooling-as-a-service, that is, paying for the cooling service instead of investing in the infrastructure like refrigeration plants that delivers the cooling, has been present in sub-Saharan Africa as far back at 2015.
Richard Ahedor Seshie, founder of social enterprise COOL LION, explains that post-harvest food losses among smallholder farmers in Africa amount to$4 billion annually in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, enough to feed at least 48 million people.
“Smallholder farmers lose up to 36% of their produce on average — leading to wasted land use, increased carbon emissions, and perpetuated rural poverty,” he says, adding that the company began by focusing on helping fishers preserve their catch.
The farmers can utilize refrigerated containers up to 40 feet long, with storage up to 29 tonnes, powered by solar energy, either a freezer-style storage for fishing products or a fridge-style storage for the agriculture and food industry.
Seshie explains that a rent-to-own model means a co-operative or small business can pay for the container through weekly or daily installments (of about $33 a day) for a maximum period of 24 months, after which they become full owners of the plant.
“Our solution extend produce shelf life from a few days and up to 1 year and to date, we’ve deployed cold storage infrastructure serving over 2,000 farmers in Cote d’Ivoire,” he says, adding that they aim to support 1 million smallholders across Africa over the next 15 years, with a vision to eradicate food loss.
NGO Association 3535, received a $100,000 prize as 2023 Growth Grant Winners for working with Cool Lion to establish four solar cooling hubs and offering cold storage as a service for smallholder farmers and small-scale fishermen.
Origins in Cote D’Ivoire
Seshie grew up in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, and says he has has always been passionate about making a difference.
“Although I once wanted to join the army, I discovered I was better at thinking strategically and this realization led me to explore opportunities in volunteering and social impact activities during my university years,” he says.
Seshie worked abroad for a few years, including in the United States, working with different NGOs, institutions, and startups.
“My early interest in strategy turned into a focus on social innovation and entrepreneurship, leading me to start my own social enterprise,” he says.
Seshie says the Global South science is crucial for addressing the unique challenges faced by developing countries and ensuring that solutions are contextually relevant and sustainable.
“Being from the Global South myself, I understand the importance of community-driven solutions and the need to prioritize the voices and experiences of those most affected by global challenges,” he says, adding that scientists from the Global South bring firsthand knowledge of local contexts, cultural nuances, and socioeconomic dynamics, which are often overlooked in traditional research paradigms.
“Our unique perspectives allow us to identify innovative solutions that may be overlooked by traditional approaches, leading to more inclusive and impactful outcomes.” he says.
Banana Fiber Pads Fight Period Poverty In Ghana
In the neighboring country of Ghana, a team of entrepreneurs are turning discarded banana and plantain stems into a more sustainable sanitary pad to fight period poverty.
According to the World Bank, half a billion women and girl worldwide suffer from period poverty (the lack of access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for their menstrual hygiene) and a UNESCO report estimates 10 percent of girls in Sub-Saharan Africa are missing up to as much as a fifth of their school year due to period poverty.
Umar Farouk Mubaraka, Chief Finance Officer and Co-founder of Kodu Technology, explains that the company embarked on research to discover ways of utilizing the wasted stems of banana and plantain from Ghana’s agricultural sector.
“Our initial plan was to make paper from it and we discovered that the banana and plantain fibers have a very high absorption ability, which pushed us into doing this business,” she says, adding that the greatest potential was found in producing sanitary pads.
