Affordable solar-powered cold rooms to reduce food loss

Challenge

In Burkina Faso, a significant portion of fruit and vegetable production is lost due to the lack of adequate cold storage. Without refrigeration, transporting and preserving fresh produce poses health risks and leads to economic losses for small-scale farmers. Moreover, existing equipment, often imported and expensive, is not adapted to African realities. Small producers and traders are not always organised in cooperatives to store and transport their produce. Additionally, they often lack the financial capacity to make these investments.

Innovative solution

FASOTRAP offers tailor-made, affordable, and energy-efficient cold storage solutions, powered by electricity, solar energy, or petrol. Purchase options, installment payments, or rental are available, enabling small farmers and traders to benefit from a solution that costs 3 to 5 times less than a refrigerated truck.

Impact

• 230 producers have access to storage solutions for their products, thereby reducing agricultural losses
• 30% increase in income for users of cold storage rooms
• Reduction of the ecological footprint for the storage and transportation of food products.