Saving produce from spoilage without electricity

Spoilage of perishable farm produce is a major challenge facing smallholder farmers in rural, low-income settings in Africa, where grid electricity is inaccessible, unreliable, or nonexistent. That’s why a team called FruiFresh, made up of students at the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture, the University of Rwanda, and the Institute of Applied Sciences–Ruhengeri, has developed a cold-room facility that helps solve the longstanding problem of postharvest losses in the region. In June, the FruiFresh team won first place at the 2024 Wege Prize , organized by Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design. The prize, which comes with a $30,000 cash reward, is awarded every year to college or university students around the world who come up with innovative solutions to difficult problems. The team’s effort was cited for alleviating postharvest losses for tomato farmers and retailers in Rwanda by building large, naturally evaporative, charcoal-based cooling facilities. And