Solar-powered cold storage Technologies for Postharvest Loss Reduction in Tomato Value Chain: Examining perceptions, barriers, and opportunities for deployment in South-East Tanzania

Keywords: Post-harvest, food losses, cold storage, small-scale farmers, Tanzania
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 11

Abstract

In Tanzania, tomato production has become one of the most important cash-earning vegetable crops, accounting for more than 50% of total exports of vegetables. However, between 30 and 50 percent of fresh tomatoes perish before they reach consumers due to poor post-harvest management. Lack of cold storage facilities is one of the leading causes of rapid spoilage of freshly harvested tomatoes threatening the sector's economic contribution, food supplies, and farmers' livelihoods. In recent years, the adoption of affordable, solar-powered cold storage technologies has proved to hold great potential for reducing losses of fresh produce, particularly for resource-poor farmers suffering from excessive food losses. Using semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, and experts' interviews, this study examined farmers' perceptions, barriers, and opportunities for increasing uptake of solar-powered cold storage technologies in Tanzania. Forty (40) active small-scale tomato producers and twenty-three (23) experts from government, NGOs, donor community, and solar companies were purposively selected to establish constraints and effective ways for deploying solar-powered cold storage technologies in Tanzania. Data collected were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed using NVIVO 12 software and Microsoft Excel. Findings revealed that the uptake of solar-powered cold storage technologies is constrained by limited awareness, high upfront costs, small market share, and poor post-harvest cold-chain infrastructure. The study concludes that addressing such barriers demands promoting policies that attract and retain investment in cold storage technologies, improving technology affordability through flexible payment strategies, and increasing market awareness of the cost and environmental benefits of solar-powered cold storage technologies