Solar Fruit Dehydrators for MicroEntrepreneurs

This fall we continue moving forward on the next iteration of our solar food dehydrator.  Noe, our engineering student partner at the Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala, has completed his detailed project proposal to the university. 

This proposal outlines his plans to research and interview the members of the Cooperativa Kuxya, gathering up-to-date knowledge from the field.  Our solar dehydrator has been in operation in Cooperativa Kuxya for 3 years now, supporting these farmers to preserve their harvests and create nutritious, shelf-stable local agricultural products.

With their feedback, Noe will improve our current design to develop a larger and more efficient model allowing farmers in Kuxya and other regions to scale their operation.  Standardized natural food products like spices, teas, and dried fruit are a valuable local commodity.

Onsite food dehydration locks in key nutrients at the peak of freshness, ensuring maximum vitamin retention and allows healthy food products to be sold in local tiendas that may not have reliable refrigeration.  These local avenues for farmers to sell their products reduces emissions from trucking produce to city wholesalers and creates higher income sources for these rural entrepreneurs.

ATC has a decade of experience supporting rural farmers with appropriate technologies.  ATC has partnered with universities to develop multiple innovative solutions just like this solar dehydrator. Noe will be mentored by an ATC engineer and ATC’s local Guatemalan staff who together will guide him through the design process and ensure the voices of the farming cooperatives inform every step of the way.

Links:

• Check out the dehydrator and more at our Design Library

Although COVID-19 interrupted the build of our latest prototype in March 2020, we held on tight. We competed in the Siemen´s Design Challenge on Engineering for Change to expose our work to new critique and improvement. Our project was short-listed and given feedback on our response to market demand and competitin.

Now, a Guatemalan engineering student reached out to ATC in search of an opportunity to complete his thesis project while working from home. 

ATC has been cooperating with volunteer engineers by distance for over 10 years now - we are the most experienced engineering non profit in Guatemala for online communications for the design process. Noe, from Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala´s top university, will be scaling our new hybrid solar dehydrator design for manufacturing by rural cooperatives. 

His project will respond to the needs of rural cooperatives to create standardized natural food products affordably while protecting their environment. The timing couldn´t be better - as we expect the country to steadily open up in the early months of 2021 - at which time our prototype will have been built and tested right here in Guatemala.

Thanks to ATC volunteer engineers in Michigan, Mexico and Guatemala we will have a sustainable solution for rural economic development in the aftermath of the pandemic to help rural communities regain economic momentum, feeding their communities and providing dignified work.

Links:

• Shortlisted on Siemen's Design Challenge