Food dryers offer support to Mondo’s partner communities in adapting to climate change

This year, Mondo will deliver 108 food dryers to its partner communities in Georgia, Kenya and Uganda, supporting their livelihoods and reducing food waste.

Food is a vital part of our every day, but for millions of people, the daily meal is not tacit. Nearly 820 million people faced food insecurity at severe levels in 2020. This means that food is not available to them on a stable daily basis. Droughts, showers and other changes in weather patterns due to climate change will further increase the number of people suffering from food insecurity.

Together with Estonian GlobeDry and the Environmental Investment Centre 3 Mondo’s partnercommunities are provided with solar-powered food dryers. One such dryer saves about 1500 kg of food per year from waste, which in turn prevents 5172 kg of CO2  equivalent from being released into the air. In addition, it provides small farmers with an opportunity to quickly and hygienically store and sell their fruits to support their income. Thanks to this, the food security of the communities increases, food waste decreases, as well as CO2  emissions, and the sources of income for the communities are replenished. All of this contributes to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Egle Küngas, the project manager, and Hanna-Marta Lunge, head of Mondo’s activities in Kenya, visited the factory in Estonia, Pärnumaa, to see how the dryers are made. See pictures from Mondo’s Flickr. 

Each food dryer, from fans to solar panels and wheels, is assembled with great care and love by assembler Sulev. His previous experience in working with different machines and devices is a great value here, because wires, fans, solar panels and much more have to fit together perfectly – a good puzzle! And this for 108 times.

“It was very exciting to see the completion of the dryers. All the necessary pieces and parts are present in the factory, now we just have to wait for the final completion of the dryers and then send them to Georgia, Kenya and Uganda with the necessary accessories.” said project manager Egle Küngas.

Hanna-Marta Lunge sees the potential in dryers not only for drying fruits and vegetables, but also for better preservation of seeds. If the seeds are not properly dried and stored, they can, for example, go moldy, and this can be a big risk for small farming families.

You can read more about the project here. Mondo’s environmental program can be supported through charity gifts by supporting vulnerable communities with access to solar panels, tree planting or water. 

Mondo’s project “Increasing food security and reducing food waste with solar food dryers in Uganda, Kenya, and Georgia” is financed by the Republic of Estonia.