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Foster economic empowerment and to discard plastic waste from landfills as well as to mitigate climate change


Description

Summary / Résumé

Every year, millions of plastic bottles are been waste and not recycled and as a result end up they end up in landfills that impact our environment and climate. Plastic bottle waste can take up to more than 700 years to perish. According to the Guardian News of June 7th, 2017 - a million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and this number is estimated to rise by 30% increase by 2030 causing an extreme environmental crisis and climate change. 

Most of the plastic bottles used for soft drinks, water and storing food and drinks are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material which are highly recyclable. Post use of plastic bottles have created a huge pill of plastic waste, which 2% is recycled and the rest i left to decay which may take up to 700 years causing environmental pollution and climate change in the atmosphere. 

Plastic bottles are recyclable or re-used for various purposes including for use in making school bags, organizing school projects and making polyester materials for different businesses including clothing's, shoes and threads. 

Turning plastic bottle waste into sustainable reusable goods including women clothing's and threads used to make clothings is not a new concept, however it has been implemented in the developed nations since the earlier 2000s whereas in the developing nations especially in Tanzania the technology of recycling plastic bottles into sustainable clothing's doesn't exist. 

. While this innovative post harvest food losses solution will ensure well-timed harvest of foodstuffs at farms and decrease time period of holding food at markets and suppliers, and consumers will be certain about receiving fresh supplies when needed.


What actions do you propose? / Quelles actions proposez-vous?

A solar powered tricycle to be attached or mounted with a solar paneled refrigerator that will be used to handle, store and distribute perishable foodstuffs especially fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry and honey will be developed. The solar powered tricycle will also be fitted with two rechargeable batteries and an inverter to store solar energy that will help to propel the machine and run a refrigerator in case the weather will not be favorable to generate power from the sun. The solar powered tricycle, which will be environmentally friendly because it will trap energy from sunlight or utilize the productive usage of energy (PUE)  unlike other many transportation devices, which utilize fossil fuel to deliver food from farmers, to either suppliers, markets or directly to final consumers within the city of Arusha. The solar powered tricycle will have a solar collector that will be used to tap solar energy then convert it into electricity that will run an electric motor and activate a refrigerator. It will be a two-wheeled motor drive (2-WD) that will be pushed by two back wheels which will be attached to an electric motor.

An attempt to improve food supply chain value and subsequently reduction of post-harvest losses of food in some towns in Tanzania has brought an innovative idea of developing or creating a solar powered tricycle that will be used to handle, store and distribute food from farms to final consumers. The solar powered tricycle will be mounted with a solar paneled refrigerator that will be used to handle and store the food during distribution process. Manual pedaling tricycles need a lot of energy to make them move forward and those which use fossil fuels, are relatively expensive to operate and are environmentally unfriendly when compared to the proposed solar powered tricycle. The less expensive to operate and which do not produce pollutants into the atmosphere are manually pedaled tricycles, which are mostly used in Arusha city and Dar-es-Salaam city. Nonetheless these are ergonomically tiresome, cannot cover long distance in a day, do not contain cold storage facilities and carry little load.

This innovative technology for the reduction of post harvest losses of food is expected to run for an initial period of two years with effect from July 2018 and be evaluated in June 2020 in order to determine whether it should extended to other areas in Tanzania and elsewhere in the East African countries. The first six months of the project will be spent on designing and assembling the solar powered tricycles, processing permits and licenses to run the solar powered tricycle in the city of Arusha from relevant authorities and registering small scale farmers, food suppliers, markets and consumers who will initially be involved in the innovative post harvest loss of food solution.

The six-month period will also be spent on raising awareness to other partners on the significance of the project environmentally, economically and socially as well as to get business mentorship and training on the innovative solution sustainability. The actual operation of the innovative solution will commence in January 2019. This novel technology has been created by civic engagement leaders, entrepreneurs and design thinkers based in Arusha city who will lead its implementation.

 


Which types of stakeholders are involved, in which way? / Quels types de parties prenantes sont impliqués, de quelle façon?

Major stakeholders in the implementation of the innovative solution will be all registered community members in the city of Arusha including but not limited to small scale farmers/producers, food transporters and suppliers, markets custodians and final consumers. Furthermore other partners will be the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) which will regulate communication among stakeholders, the Ministry of Energy in particular Electricity and Water Utility Regulatory Authority (EWURA), which will be requested to monitor the energy to be saved if fossil fuel would have been used and its impact to the national economy, the Ministry of Trade and Industries, which will grant respective licenses for implementing the innovative solution, the Local Government and Regional Administration particularly the Arusha City Council, which will support in the sensitization of farmers, suppliers and consumers to join hands with the proposed innovative solution. In addition, other stakeholders will be the Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA), which will help to link up respective farmers/producers with the innovative solution and the Vocational Training Centers, which will be requested to follow on the efficiency and effectiveness of the solar powered tricycles and if successful adopt the technology in future. Other stakeholders will be the national and international organizations/agencies will be requested to provide additional expertise with respect to the proposed innovative solution and more knowledge on the social, political and environmental impacts of reducing harvest post losses of food while increasing economic growth.


How could the actions be scaled up at the neighborhood or city level? / Comment serait-il possible d'augmenter la portée des actions à l'échelle des quartiers ou de la ville?

On one hand small scale farmers harvest farm products unsystematically because they lack clear information on available markets while on the other hand, final consumers of food are short of records on when the preferred foodstuffs are delivered in markets. Whereas food suppliers and transporters take advantage of plentiful harvest at the farms by pulling down prices and buy large amounts, and business people at the markets and vendors hoard plenty of food, poor handling, storage and distribution facilities at all those stages make about 50% of the total yields in Arusha city to get spoilt and lost before reaching final consumers


What impact will these actions have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change? / Quels impacts auront ces actions sur la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre et l'adaptation aux changements climatiques?

The development of a solar powered tricycle, mounted with a solar paneled refrigerator is a novel solution for sustainable development in Arusha city and Tanzania in general. It will be the first Eco-friendly technology that will contribute to the reduction of post harvest losses of food by using an environmentally friendly, economically viable and socially acceptable source of energy in food handling, storage and distribution.


What are the other environmental, economic or social benefits? / Quels sont les autres bénéfices environnementaux, économiques et sociaux?

The use of SMS system will therefore help small-scale farmers to produce/harvest within limits of demand and suppliers/distributors as well as consumers purchase within limits of their storage capacity and as a result, the reduction of post harvest losses of food, improvement of food security and fostering economic empowerment and economic growth is inevitable for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) target number 1, 2, 3, 7, 12 and 13 by 2050.

The proposed innovative solution will improve food nutritional values and food security while fostering economic empowerment and the welfare of small scale farmers and food entrepreneurs. In addition the proposed innovative solution will increase food market access to the farmers, suppliers, markets and final consumers. Whereas this innovative technology will reduce post harvest losses of food from the current 50% of the total production to 5% by 2050 in the city of Arusha while it will also expand employment opportunities for youths and women from marginalized communities.

The innovative solution will contribute to the achievement and realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target numbers 1, 2, 3, 7, 12, and 13, which are, no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, access to reliable energy consumption, sustainable consumption and production, and climate action respectively (UNEP, 2016)


What are the most innovative aspects and main strengths of this approach? / Quels sont les aspects novateurs et les principales forces de cette approche?

The increase in post harvest losses of food globally and particularly in developing countries like Uganda, Nigeria and Indonesia are subsequently causing food insecurity, hunger, bad health and well-being, climate change, environmental degradation and political unrest may not be an exception to Tanzania. To counteract this challenge, the use of pedaling tricycles and those, which utilize fossil fuels distribute food especially fruits, vegetable and honey from the farms, markets to final consumers has been popular in Tanzania’s cities including Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha and Mbeya and Tanga.

The development of a solar powered tricycle, mounted with a solar paneled refrigerator is a novel solution that will be the first Eco-friendly technology that will contribute to the reduction of post harvest losses of food by using an environmentally friendly, economically viable and socially acceptable source of energy in food handling, storage and distribution.

The operation of using a solar powered tricycle to reduce post harvest food losses will be enhanced by the use of Short Message Services (SMS) system to gather productive information and communication from farmers and deliver information on the availability of various foodstuffs to distributors, markets custodians and consumers. Availability timely information on food supply and demand will make handling and distribution time between farmers and consumers relatively shorter


What are the proposal’s projected costs? / Quels sont les coûts projetés de la proposition?

The proposal’s projected costs will be as follows; at minimum $30,000 and $47,000 at maximum will be needed to make to be implemented and sustainable. The funding will be used to develop a responsive website, short message services (SMS) system, modify a solar powered engine motor tricycle and establish potential mutual relationship with farmers, food markets/suppliers, local food vendors and fast foods and final food consumers. The proposal’s projected funds will be used to mobilize and raise awareness to the surrounding local Arusha city community members about the principles of community engagement, food security, solar energy utilization, food supply chain management and post-harvest management of food to all food beneficiaries and stakeholders in order to be able to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 17. 


What are the potential challenges or obstacles? / Quels sont les défis ou les obstacles potentiels?

One of the expected challenges is lack of awareness among stakeholders on how the proposed innovative solar powered tricycle will narrow the food supply chain value gap to reducing post harvest food losses and the subsequent increase of food security. This challenge will be overcomed by raising awareness to the Arusha city community members, especially small-scale farmers/producers, food suppliers, markets and final consumers during the time when the tricycle will be under construction. 

Another challenge is the process of securing respective permits and licenses to develop and operate the solar powered tricycle in Arusha city and Tanzania as a whole that will be used for food handling, storage and distribution/transportation through various chains to final consumers. This challenge will be contributed by the existence of government bureaucracy due to lack of knowledge among government institutions in Tanzania such as Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), Surface and Marine Transportation Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) and Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), which are responsible for issuing respective permits and licenses may delay the implementation of developing the innovative solar powered tricycle.

 


About the authors / À propos des auteur(e)s

Reginald Victor Runyoro

Reginald Victor Runyoro has over four years of experience in community engagement, social entrepreneurship and sustainable tourism. Currently, Reginald is the project developer and team leader of the proposed Eco-friendly food supply chain management venture to be established in Arusha city, Tanzania where he focus on building sustainable mutual relationships and networks with environmental and climate action stakeholders while raising awareness about climate change mitigation and adaptation to the local community. 

Reginald holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology, History and Sociology from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. Reginald is driven by the passion of climate change mitigation and adapatation as well as community engagement and he hopes to incarnate climate change mitigation and environmental awareness to the local community.


References / Références

https://medium.com/intheirshoes/ben-wokorachs-work-is-changing-the-lives-of-small-scale-farmers-in-developing-countries-f6d40278bfd5

http://labs.tffchallenge.com/team/2015/fruiti-cycle

https://www.globalinnovationexchange.org/innovations/fruiti-cycle

http://www.lionessesofafrica.com/lioness-bilikiss-adebiyi-abiola

http://wecyclers.com