SolarFood: Developing inclusive business model (BM) concepts for solar food drying in the Himalaya region

Business models will be developed and tested with local stakeholders, particularly women-led agricultural cooperatives. In lowering post-harvest losses, SolarFood will contribute to addressing the issues of both food access / security and poverty reduction.

The goal is to improve the nutritional content of solar dried foods and developing marketable products that can provide a new income stream for women-led agricultural cooperatives.

The SolarFood project involves an international and interdisciplinary team of researchers, led by Ruralis – Institute for Rural and Regional Research in Norway. Partners include:

• Lund University
• Jigme Namgyel Engineering College, Royal University of Bhutan
• Gedu College of Business Studies, Royal University of Bhutan
• School of Management, Kathmandu University
• Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kathmandu University

SolarFood builds on two previous research projects, both led by Lund University. SolarFood 1.0 and 2.0 emphasized the development of solar-powered technologies. SolarFood 3.0 instead focuses on the social and economic aspects of introducing solar dryers while improving and tailoring them to local contexts.

For an example on the developed solar dryers, see the construction manual for indirect solar dryer in wood (CC-BY license): https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20401618

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Project Group

Advisors

PhD students

Completed master’s theses related to the project

Watch our first demonstration video of a hybrid solar dryer installed at GCBS in Gedu, Bhutan. More to come—follow SolarFoods’ very own YouTube channel.