Solar Fruit Dehydrators for MicroEntrepreneurs

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