Green Technologies to Facilitate Development of Value Chains
for Perishable Crops and Animal Products

8.1. History and Results

A component of the GreenTech program was to pilot walk-in solar dryers. To fulfill this obligation, SunDanzer again partnered with Malawi Fruits in May of 2021. Malawi Fruits saw a potential opportunity to both preserve and add value to the tomatoes grown by their women farmers as well as other local crops such as bananas, mangoes, peppers. In September, funds were provided for to design and build two types of solar dryer for fruit and vegetables and to test these in terms of production of dried produce. The objects of the pilot project were to: 1. design and build two different types of dryers using solar/battery for any power requirements 2.  test the dryers with a variety of fruits, measure the results, and refine the process to get a consistently high-quality product 3. investigate the market for dried products including wholesale and retail packaging requirements. Two prototypes were built using locally sourced materials. One of these, a modification of Modern Farming Technologies' greenhouse proved to both functional and relatively low cost. Two units were quickly bought by a local farmer for drying chilies with another four sold to farmers in Lilongwe for drying cannabis.

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In April 2022 more funds were provided to move the project on to the marketing stage.  The aims for this second phase were to: 1. continue testing different fruits, especially seasonal fruits which may be available when the ambient temperature is high, the humidity low, and when these fruits are abundantly available (these tests were to cover quality (taste and appearance) and shelf life), 2. develop packaging materials to suit different markets 3. test the market locally, nationally and for export.

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After a visit from the Malawi Bureau of Standards, it became clear that MFT would need to have a dedicated pack house with a clean environment for fruit preparation, packing and storage, which they constructed next to the dryers. In May 2022, MFT recruited Gift Lyson. Gift is a graduate from Lilongwe university of agriculture and natural resources with a degree in food science and technology to run the drying operation.

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8.2. Current Status

Currently, Malawi Fruits is continuing with Research and Development, determining the best drying and packaging methods while monitoring shelf life of tomatoes, peppers, mangoes and bananas. CEO Kevin Simpson attended the Fruit Logistica conference in Berlin in February to assess export market opportunities. Also in early 2023, the organization won a grant from Fair Trade to get its products certified and receive assistance accessing markets. Currently, MFT is able to sell all the fruit it buys from its growers, but sees drying as the vehicle to further prevent post-harvest losses through preservation and potentially to add value to its fruit. In August of 2023, Malawi Fruits is planning to document its piloting journey and findings in a Case Study.