In India, post-harvest losses are estimated to account for roughly 40 p.c of overall agricultural produce, resulting in an financial lack of roughly $14 billion every year.
At Maharashtra-based logo Moomba, vital efforts are being made through making a marketplace for produce that will in most cases cross to waste. Central to this initiative is the leading edge use of solar-powered dehydration generation, which transforms discarded produce into top of the range, shelf-stable meals components. This additionally is helping farmers generate further source of revenue.
“Through changing unsellable produce into marketable merchandise, we empower over 3,500 ladies farmers who at the moment are incomes an extra source of revenue of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh every year. This source of revenue spice up is an important in breaking the debt cycle that traps many farmers, offering them with the monetary steadiness had to reinvest of their farms and give a boost to their livelihoods,” stocks Vaibhav Tidke, CEO and co-founder of S4S Applied sciences, an agricultural startup that introduced its logo Moomba.
As of now, Moomba has effectively averted 2 lakh tonnes of meals from being wasted, considerably bettering meals safety in communities.
Through the usage of renewable power for meals processing, the initiative reduces greenhouse gasoline emissions and promotes environmentally sustainable farming practices. “This manner has helped mitigate 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, making farming extra resilient to unpredictable climate patterns and excessive local weather occasions,” he says.
Moreover, Moomba may be fostering better financial independence and selling gender equality through empowering ladies farmers with the talents and information to function solar-powered generation and arrange their companies.
Including price to discarded crop the usage of solar power
In 2019, Vaibhav Tidke, Swapnil Kokate, Tushar Gaware, Nidhi Pant, Ashwin Pawade, Ganesh Bhere, and Shital Somani co-founded S4S Applied sciences. Rooted in a shared imaginative and prescient, the seven buddies from farming background got here in combination to make use of their medical wisdom and make a distinction within the lives of smallholder farmers.
Sharing his perception at the publish harvest losses, Vaibhav says, “This happens because of quite a lot of elements comparable to insufficient garage amenities, deficient infrastructure, inefficient provide chains and loss of right kind processing generation. It results in financial loss as with decreased source of revenue from their vegetation, many small farmers are compelled to tackle extra debt. This results in a vicious cycle of poverty and indebtedness.”
Striving to paintings on answers, Moomba procures broken and lower-grade vegetation basically from smallholder farmers on the farmgate. The startup employs its patented Sun Conduction Dryer (SCD) generation. It harnesses the solar warmth to take away moisture from meals pieces – end result, greens, grains and spices – successfully dehydrating them.
The SCD is provided with a clear plastic duvet that permits daylight to penetrate and be absorbed through black-coated drying trays. The black food-grade coating maximises photo voltaic radiation absorption, heating the outside the place the produce is positioned.
The absorbed solar power is then transferred thru conduction to the produce, making sure uniform and environment friendly dehydration. It’s designed to be user-friendly, requiring minimum coaching, which empowers ladies farmers to function it independently.
“This procedure extends the shelf lifetime of the produce, remodeling perishable vegetation into top of the range, shelf-stable meals components with out depending on electrical energy or fossil fuels. Our generation exemplifies how easy, renewable power answers can force financial independence and resilience in rural communities and assist farmers safe a greater long run for themselves and their households,” says Vaibhav.
Bringing monetary steadiness to a few,500 ladies
At Moomba, all kinds of value-added merchandise are being made the usage of solar-powered generation. Those come with dehydrated vegatables and fruits comparable to potatoes, inexperienced chilli, inexperienced peas, garlic, onion, corn, ginger, tomato, spinach and pumpkin, that are processed into quite a lot of bureaucracy like entire, chopped, minced, granules, powder, kibbled and sliced.
Along with this, grains comparable to rice, soya and corn grits, breakfast cereals and pulses, are processed together with spices comparable to pink chilli and turmeric. Those value-added merchandise now not best maintain the dietary content material but in addition create new marketplace alternatives, contributing to the commercial empowerment of ladies farmers.
The corporate is related to over 4 lakh smallholder farmers and has empowered 3,500 ladies. “Those ladies have noticed a vital build up of their per month earning, with many experiencing an source of revenue spice up of 15-20 p.c. On moderate, they’ve noticed an build up of Rs 4,000 to Rs 8,000 of their per month source of revenue. This source of revenue spice up supplies them better monetary steadiness and lets them reinvest of their farms,” says Vaibhav.
Kashi Shivaji Pawar, who has been operating with S4S Applied sciences for the previous 3 years, was once a landless farmer. Previous, she labored as an agricultural labourer in fields owned through others. “I must cross out on the lookout for a role so far as two kilometres. After operating all day beneath the cruel daylight, I’d infrequently earn Rs 200 in line with day. I needed to discontinue my daughter’s schooling after elegance 12,” she says.
“However, fortunately I used to be in a position to proceed with it once I got to work right here. I’m able to earn two times the quantity as much as Rs 400-450 in line with day. The centre may be within sight so it will get more straightforward for me to seem after my kids as neatly. My daughter is now pursuing her commencement and in addition studying how you can kind,” provides the resident of Matrewadi village of Jalna district.
The corporate caters to ten,000 shoppers in huge packaged meals firms, cloud kitchens, Fast-Carrier Eating places (QSRs), export homes, inns, eating places and the catering business. The corporate’s annual earnings stands at Rs 200 crores.
Taking a look on the have an effect on created through the corporate, Vaibhav says, “We’ve been in a position to deal with vital demanding situations like post-harvest losses, meals waste and poverty through offering sustainable, solar-powered answers that empower farmers to develop into marketers.”
“The ripple impact of our paintings is profound—each and every time we scale our operations, we reinforce the livelihoods of the ones at once concerned and force broader systemic exchange inside the communities we serve. The adventure has been immensely pleasurable and understanding that our enlargement at once interprets into significant, lasting have an effect on for such a lot of best deepens our dedication to increasing our succeed in and multiplying our efforts,” he provides.
Edited through Padmashree Pande. All pictures: S4S Applied sciences.
Supply:
Submit harvest losses of vegatables and fruits in India: Through Ramesh Kumar Sahni, revealed in September 2023.
India grows extra meals, wastes extra, whilst extra cross hungry: Through Rahul Shrivastava for India These days, revealed on 21 January 2021.