Deadline: 18-Jul-22
The Foreign Agricultural Service has announced the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Kenya Solar Cold Storage to support identifying a sustainable, economically advantageous, solar powered, cold storage system to handle two commodities that can be used for OFSP roots (for processing into puree and fresh root use), and onions.
The cold storage should be flexible to handle both local and imported agricultural products. The intention is to determine and establish the economic viability of small solar-powered containers to facilitate a year-round supply of root crops.
The solar cold storage containers are expected to help strengthen local market systems (including producers, processors and traders) for root crops by reducing losses from decay, reducing energy costs, and improving nutrition by increasing access to and the use of various high quality, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods in school meals.
Objectives
Anticipated products from this project are:
- Two solar cold storage units manufactured in Kenya or elsewhere, and installed in Kenya, one with the Government of Kenya, and the other with a farmer organization
- Train the Kenyan operators of the two facilities on how to store root and pureed sweet potatoes, and onions, and how to properly manage the facility using digital and airflow technology
- Align this pilot project to complement other work in Kenya on OFSP and Onion value chains
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $300,000
- Award Ceiling: $100,000
- Projected Period of Performance Start: August 22, 2022
- Projected Period of Performance End: August 22, 2024
Eligibility Criteria
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Others
- Private institutions of higher education State cooperative institutions or other colleges and universities in the United States, as defined at 7 USC § 3103.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=341185