Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Agrotech Plus was Launched in 2019 following a successful issue analysis conducted by the Organization on post harvest loss in Kenya. In Kenya, infrastructure issues such as lack of electrification and cold storage along the food supply chain, combined with the country‚ hot climate, mean an alarming 40% of food produced every year is lost before ever reaching consumers. 

Agrotech Plus designs, commissions, installs, and operates "plug and play" cold rooms located at major food production and consumption centers in Kenya, including farm clusters and outdoor markets. Through its pioneering "pay-as-you-store" system, small-scale farmers can safely store produce in solar-powered walk-in cold rooms, extending the shelf life of perishable goods from two to 21 days, and cutting post-harvest loss by 90 percent. 

Local people can also charge their reusable lamps and mobile devices at the solar powered cold storage units, helping to tackle energy poverty.

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How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 30 to 40% of food produced for human consumption is lost before it can even make it to market in the developing world, namely due to spoilage. Such a level of inefficiency has serious economic, social and environmental consequences. The carbon footprint alone of food produced and not eaten is estimated to be 3.3 Gtonnes of CO2 equivalent ‚ in other words, food loss and waste would rank as the third top GHG emitter after USA and China if it were a country.Within Kenya, postharvest loss leads to economic hardship for many families, driving some to deforest their land to seek income. When farmers incur significant losses, they end up cutting down more trees to make room for more land to plant extra crops as compensation. Such deforestation removes nature-based carbon sinks and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, both contributing to climate change. With 40,200 tons of food saved in 2021, Agrotech Plus scaled up that number to 52,700 tons saved in 2022 with farmers' income doubling within the same period. The development of Agrotech Plus 100% Solar Powered cold chain technology is one opportunity to close the gap on food loss and carbon emissions, since spoilage could be avoided if proper refrigeration infrastructure were in place. The company places solar-powered, walk-in cold stations in local markets. For a small fee, farmers can rent space in a cold room to store their produce and prevent spoilage, extending the shelf life of their products and increasing revenue. This allows us to reduce food loss, improve food security, slow greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, reduce poverty and build resilience ‚ all in one fell swoop. The company also provided training and educational resources to farmers to demonstrate how produce loses its value the longer it goes without refrigeration.In addition, Agrotech Plus bases its operations on 100% solar-powered technology rather than diesel generators or the burning of fossil fuels leading to a further reduction of CO2 emissions from supply chains. This pioneering idea has led to 1,040,688 kg tons of CO2 saved to date. Staying away from fossil fuel and relying exclusively on its solar panels for energy generation, during the year 2022 under review Agrotech Plus saved 600,688Kg of Carbon Dioxide, across its 5 operational cold rooms. Every solar cold room we set up is reducing up to 16.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions each month.

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Agrotech Plus is pioneering the production of cold storage units that are both solar-powered and mobile for small-scale rural produce farmers. This innovative entrepreneurial initiative enables farmers to reduce post-harvest losses by 90 percent and grow more high-value crops, thereby increasing household incomes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food loss.

The initiative also supports gender empowerment, with 80 percent of the 3,000 beneficiaries being women. The Agrotech Plus initiative mentors women and youth between the ages of 18 and 29 in climate-smart agriculture and in the operation, maintenance, and repair of renewable-energy equipment. As a result of this skills-transfer program, 2500 youth, People with disability and women are earning income from work that reduces agricultural carbon emissions. By filling a key gap in the supply chain, Agrotech Plus increases smallholder income, mitigates climate change, and supports food security through replicable practices. Local people can also charge their reusable lamps and mobile devices at the solar powered cold storage units, helping to tackle energy poverty.

In addition, these storage units will create more permanent and sustainable jobs for the youth and women. This will ensure employment equality in the Nigerian agricultural sector which supports 90% of all livelihoods in the rural areas.

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