14 September 2023
From Harvest to Market: A Guide and Webinar for Sustainable Cold Room Management
Your VCCA and partners launch an Operators Manual accompanied by a webinar delving into post-harvest technologies and best practices to extend the shelf life of crops stored in multi-commodity cold rooms.
Introduction
The global food supply faces a daunting challenge: despite producing 1.5 times the amount of food needed worldwide, approximately one-third of global production is lost throughout the value chain, as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation. These losses are particularly severe in developing countries, where deficiencies in distribution systems and significant post-harvest losses plague the agricultural landscape .
In response to these challenges, the Your Virtual Cold Chain Assistant initiative, in collaboration with CoolCrop, ColdHubs, Koel Fresh, and Oorja Development Solutions, has launched an Operator’s Manual. This comprehensive guide seeks to address the pressing issue of post-harvest losses, promising a transformative approach to managing solar-powered cold rooms for the simultaneous storage of multiple crops. It offers pragmatic insights for cold room operators, with the ultimate aim extending shelf of stored produce and bolstering food security.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Cold Chains for the Fresh Produce Industry
Chapter 1 of the manual delves into the heart of the matter: the global post-harvest loss problem. It introduces decentralised cold rooms as a solution and explores how these innovative facilities can help mitigate the issue while contributing to sustainable development goals. The decentralisation approach strategically positions cold rooms near farms and markets, making them more accessible to smallholder farmers and accommodating multi-cropping farming patterns.
Chapter 2: Post-harvest Handling and Treatment Methods
Chapter 2 guides readers through the various phases of the fresh produce value chain. It scrutinises factors that influence crop quality during the post-harvest phase and presents best practices for optimising fresh produce quality based on temperature prerequisites and ethylene sensitivity. This chapter empowers operators with the knowledge needed to extend the shelf life of stored crops.
Chapter 3: The Cooling-as-a-Service Business Model
Chapter 3 elaborates on applying the Cooling-as-a-Service business model in the agricultural sector. It describes the operational responsibilities of cooling companies, operators, and community groups such as farmer producer organisations and self-help groups. The chapter introduces Your Virtual Cold Chain Assistant (Your VCCA), a joint project by the Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy and Empa. Your VCCA combines servitisation and digitalisation to build smallholders’ trust and help them leverage the socioeconomic benefits of post-harvest cooling. Your VCCA’s app, Coldtivate, helps manage cold rooms and monitor the remaining storage life of stored crops, enabling profitable sales decisions. The chapter explains how the app’s operational responsibilities are divided among the three user types.
Chapter 4: Remedying Technical Challenges
Chapter 4 provides essential troubleshooting measures for technical issues that may arise in solar-powered cold rooms, ensuring smooth operations and minimising disruptions.
Chapter 5: Starting Your Coldtivate Journey
Chapter 5 outlines the main steps for cooling companies, operators, and farmers to register and start using Coldtivate. It emphasises how Coldtivate helps integrate cold storage into agricultural value chains to reduce post-harvest losses effectively.
The Webinar: Reshaping Cold Room Management for a Sustainable Future
The launch of the Operator’s Manual is accompanied by a webinar hosted by BASE and Empa. This webinar aims to tackle common questions posed by cooling companies, farmer producer organisations, and entrepreneurs who are striving to enhance the efficiency of post-harvest infrastructure.
Date: 26 September 2023
Time:14:00-15:00 CEST
Webinar Highlights:
- Factors Affecting Shelf Life: Learn about the diverse factors that impact the shelf life of crops and discover strategies to extend it effectively.
- Optimal Temperatures: Gain insights into determining the optimal temperatures for a cold room, especially when storing various crops with distinct temperature requirements.
- Crate Placement: Understand the importance of crate placement within the cold room to maximize shelf life and reduce post-harvest losses.
- Passive Cooling Techniques: Explore how passive cooling can help preserve the quality of crops and learn how to implement these techniques effectively.
Mark your calendars for this engaging and informative webinar, which promises to reshape your understanding of best practices in multi-commodity cold room management. By addressing post-harvest losses, these initiatives aim to increase farmer incomes, enhance food security, and foster collaboration to tackle the challenges faced by the agricultural sector. Together, we can explore innovative solutions that benefit farmers, consumers, and the global food supply chain.
REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR: bit.ly/45QEdQW
