What is the name of your organization?
ASSOCIATION 3535
What is the name of your solution?
AGRICARE WOMEN FARMER CENTERS
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Empowering women farmers with sustainable Agricare Centres to reduce food loss, enhance supply chains, and lower carbon emissions.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
CIV
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
In Côte d’Ivoire, women smallholder farmers face high post-harvest losses due to inadequate storage, inefficient processing, and limited market access. Over 40% of perishable produce is lost before reaching consumers, contributing to food insecurity and financial instability. This loss is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, with food waste accounting for 10% of total emissions. The lack of pre-cooling storage, efficient drying, and processing technologies forces farmers to sell at low prices or discard surplus crops. Moreover, agricultural residues are often wasted instead of being converted into organic compost to improve soil health. One-third of all food produced is lost or wasted, impacting millions of smallholder farmers. In Côte d’Ivoire, over 60% of women in agriculture lack access to post-harvest solutions, reducing their earning potential and sustainability. Climate change further worsens this challenge by increasing temperature fluctuations and spoilage risks.
What is your solution?
Our “AGRICARE Women Farmer Centres” provide women farmers in Côte d’Ivoire with essential post-harvest solutions to reduce food loss and improve sustainability. These all-in-one centres offer pre-cooling storage space, solar cold storage space, solar dryers, energy-efficient grinders, and small-scale organic composting equipment to enhance food preservation and processing. Farmers bring fresh produce to the pre-cooling storage area, where it is temporarily stored before being transported to markets. Solar cold storage space extends the freshness of produce, reducing spoilage. Solar dryers allow farmers to light process crops like fruits and vegetables, creating value-added products. Energy-efficient grinders process grains and nuts efficiently, improving product quality. Agricultural residues, instead of being discarded, are transformed into organic compost, enriching soil and promoting sustainable farming. The project integrates a childcare space and sensors to monitor temperature and humidity, ensuring optimal storage and drying conditions.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our initiative aims to broadly reach 2 million women farmers in Côte d’Ivoire, who make up about 70% of the agricultural workforce but frequently encounter substantial obstacles and remain the lowest income earners. These challenges include limited access to post-harvest storage, processing technologies, and markets, leading to substantial food losses and reduced incomes. In some regions, post-harvest losses can reach up to 40%, exacerbating food insecurity and economic hardship. WIth an effort to provide storage space, solar dryers, energy-efficient grinders, and small-scale organic composting equipment, the centres empower women farmers to preserve and process their produce effectively. This not only reduces spoilage but also enables the creation of value-added products, enhancing marketability and income. Additionally, converting agricultural residues into organic compost improves soil fertility, promoting sustainable farming practices.