(Press release) In a bid to promote dissemination of decentralized cooling solutions to enable small farmers and entrepreneurs in different vulnerable geographies, Devidayal Solar Solutions Pvt. Ltd, ELICO Foundation, and SELCO Foundation entered into a tripartite collaboration to leverage their combined grassroot implementation and need-based innovation approach along with technical expertise in solar cooling solutions.
This global partnership is spurred by support from IKEA Foundation through the Efficiency for Access Research and Development Fund awarded to Devidayal Solar Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The Efficiency for Access Research and Development Fund aims to accelerate the availability, affordability and efficiency of a range of low energy inclusive appliances that are particularly suited to developing country contexts and promote social inclusion. The second call was open to applications to R&D projects developing appliance technologies or products that focused on cooling, including fans, refrigeration and cold chain for food and agricultural products. Such initiatives was made in recognition of the intersection of Sustainable Development Goals to achieve no poverty (SDG1), zero hunger (SG2) and good health and wellbeing (SDG3).
The partnership seeks to design and deploy solar powered cooling solutions for last-mile farming and fishing communities in Tanzania to strengthen their livelihoods by enabling local farmers to preserve their produce, get better pricing and reach markets. Decentralized solar powered refrigerators provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to utilize the solution to create additional livelihoods in their existing businesses. There is a great spread of different micro-businesses which can benefit from having a reliable cold-storage solution complementing their businesses Thus, the learnings from the current program can create technology, finance and social models with a potential for replication. More than 20 micro-entrepreneurs will be closely impacted with a potential increase in income and product diversification opportunity.
Source: SELCO Foundation