Nigerian Affordable Cold Storage Increases Farmers’ Income and Food Security
In Nigeria, 45 percent of food spoils due to a lack of cold storage, resulting in massive post-harvest losses and more than 93 million smallholder farmers losing 25 percent of their annual income. With refrigeration and freezing systems, farmers at the base of the pyramid can keep food fresh longer and reduce these losses while also increasing incomes and creating new jobs.
USAID/Nigeria COVID-19 Food Security Challenge Winners
Flourish Cold Chain Limited is a youth-led business that provides efficient and affordable refrigeration systems to off-grid communities to help extend the freshness of vegetables, fruits, and meat from two days without refrigeration to about ten days. Nigeria has one of the largest energy access gaps in the world, with 43 percent of its citizens lacking access to electricity.
INVESTIGATION: How Nigeria can resolve its multi trillion naira post-harvest losses (IV)
A major disruption Abuja-based Flourish ColdChain Limited is bringing into the space is the provision of solar-enabled fridges to off-grid communities for food storage using funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Unlocking Potential In Nigeria's Food Supply Chain
By strategically engaging in these areas, SMEs can enhance the efficiency of the food supply chain, directly boosting food availability and addressing Nigeria’s food insecurity issues.