Why evaporative cooling?
A lack of access to affordable and effective post-harvest storage solutions for fruits and vegetables is a significant contributor to high rates of food loss. This issue is particularly acute in off-grid communities in arid climates. Technologies utilizing evaporative cooling have been proven to increase shelf life with little or no reliance on electricity.
CoolVeg is a nonprofit organization founded to increase access and adoption of these technologies through collaborations with businesses, research institutions, NGOs, and government agencies.
Evaporative Cooling Technologies
Preserving fruits and vegetables in arid climates
Clay pot coolers and cooling chambers function through evaporative cooling and they provide the most value in hot and dry climates.
While fruits and vegetables spoil quickly in these conditions, dry air allows for water to evaporate quickly from the surface of the evaporative cooling devices, creating a cooling effect and increasing the humidity inside the storage chamber.
In humid climates, water does not evaporate quickly reducing the cooling effect and limiting the benefits that the devices can provide.
The map to the right shows the areas in Africa where these technologies will and will not work well. These technologies will also work well in many parts of Western and South Asia.
CONTACT US
Contact us if you are interested in working with us to deploy solutions for improved postharvest storage of fruits and vegetables.
CoolVeg Foundation Inc.