By John Barrie | Executive Director
I spent all of January in Guatemala visiting our past projects and planning for a very busy 2023. I visited two sites where we have solar dehydrators to interview the familes that use the them. I learned a lot more about how people use our tech and how to design a better product.
First, these simple designs have become essential technologies for people to reach their way out of poverty. Hundreds of people now have better nutrition and many now have extra income. Dehydrators are one of the most valuable tools we've created to end poverty.
Second, our first generation designs have given us a lot of good data. While our dehydrators are engines of change, to become a permanent solution they need to be built in a much more durable fashion. Problems we are addressing are; the wood structure warps or delaminates in the rain, the shutters warp and are hard to use, ants and insects can swarm the dehydrator through tiny openings between boards, the type of insulation we used attracts ants, and the flow of warm air is uneven. On top of this the dehydrators sometimes take two days to fully dehydrate a load of fruit which can cause fruit to spoil before it is preserved.
We have addressed all of the above issues with our new design. Where we once used wood we now use steel. We have added very robust solar fans and redesigned the drying chamber to even out the flow of warm air.
Our new design cost estimate is more than twice expensive than we originally budgeted for. It simply costs more to make a very long lasting product. We believe the added cost of $1,200 per unit is well worth it. The existing dehydrators have fed families for years now and they have provided for extra income. I don't know any other tech that can lift people out of poverty for about $24 per person.
Right now we have the solar panels and fans and we have our steel fabricator ready to go. We will be asking for more funds to get our new design built to replace two of the first generation solar dehydrators that are currently in the field. We will then gather data on how the new design performs and publish our work.
We have a lot to do and we thank you for your continued support.
If you have any questions or if you would like to visit us in Guatemala to check out this project, please contact us at: info@apptechdesign.org and we can set up a time to meet in the field.
Sincerely,
John Barrie
Executive Director
By John Barrie | Executive Director
By John Barrie | Executive Director
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