EVALUATION OF LOW COST VEGETABLE COOLING AND STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES IN MALI

Start date: 1 February 2017
End date: 30 September 2017

World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) will support the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Comprehensive Initiative on Technology (CITE) study of the use of low cost cooling and storage technologies for the conservation of vegetables by farming groups in Mopti, Bamako, and Sikasso, Mali.

SCOPE OF GENERAL SUPPORT ACTIVITIES

WorldVeg is partnering with MIT to support a study evaluating the use of low cost cooling and storage technologies for the conservation of vegetables. The research study seeks to understand the pertinence and impact of these low-cost cooling and storage solutions in helping farmers reduce postharvest losses for vegetables, and includes both technology evaluation and impact assessment components. The research results will be published externally and shared with other practitioners in the field of technology for development.

FIELD WORK ACTIVITIES

• Recruiting participants for the study.
• Procuring and distributing low-cost cooling and storage products to selected participants.
• Conducting interviews with study participants (households and community groups) at the launch and at the conclusion of study period.
• Installing electronic monitoring equipment on the cooling and storage products.
• Periodically collecting data from electronic monitoring equipment.
• Monitoring the usage and gathering user feedback on the cooling and storage products.
• Document successes and challenges of the project.
• Data analysis and reporting activities: WorldVeg will also support management of the data collected, provide periodic reports to the MIT CITE project manager, and assist in the preparation of the final study report.