Cool!

Green Food: Rehabilitation and Equipment of one Cold Room

The aim of the project is to enhance local economy through development of a decentralized cold value chain for small-scale farmers in rural areas of the Lubombo Region.

This project is based on findings from Local Adaptation Plans (LAPs) to address climate change, which have been developed by COSPE in a participatory process with communities in the Lubombo Region. One key insight from the LAPs has been the need to strengthen economic capacities by shortening value chains and adding value to local products. Vegetable products are spoiled before reaching the consumers because a) small markets at community levels are not able to absorb all fresh products, b) there is no coordinated planning among farmers to avoid surplus of the vegetables in the production cycles and c) there are no storage facilities available to sell the products outside the communities or to attract outside buyers.

The project will create a central place for the Lowveld (driest area of Eswatini) where the farmers can bring their vegetables for storage, so that they will avoid production/income losses and more local products will be available in the markets of the area. A suitable structure has been identified, that is attached to the processing center of the community of Mpolonjeni, under the competence of the Ministry of Agriculture. The structure will be rehabilitated and converted into an eco-friendly cold storage for the perishable vegetable products. The cooling system will be fed by a photovoltaic system made up of solar panels installed on the roof.
The definition of the cold chain business plan, the organization of the farmers for the collection of the products, the marketing of the products and the management of the cold room will be realized with additional funds and in synergy with a project currently implemented by COSPE in the Lubombo Region funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affair.

Project site

Siteki, Lubombo Region (Map)

Beneficiaries

Women: around 600
Men: around 470
Children under age 16: around 850 (only indirect)
The direct beneficiaries are local groups of farmers who are already active in vegetable production, as well as local vegetable traders who until now have had to purchase their products from far away. Indirect beneficiaries are the families of the direct beneficiaries.

Project costs and assistance by sahee

The entire project costs are CHF 90’000.–, whereas sahee takes over CHF 14’000.–.

Sahee stays in regular contact with the project leaders, monitors the activities and visits the project on site once a year.

Duration of assistance

1st of December 2019 to 31st of November 2020

Local counterpart

Cooperation for the Development of Emerging Countries (COSPE)

Project site

www.cospe.org