Economic Vulnerability
Powering cold storage with solar energy and community cooperatives
Reducing food waste and boosting farmer incomes
A Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge-winning idea, this intervention provides local merchants with solar-powered cold storage units, managed by community-based cooperatives, that allow vegetables and other produce to be stored overnight. In Rourkela, India, the program has reduced food waste by 75% and allowed farmers to grow more produce that sells at a higher price.
The Impact:
- Helped eliminate 75% of food waste for local business owners.
- One women self-help group has already increased their revenue by 3x, which increased their income by over 60%.
- To date, the use of solar has reduced carbon emissions by 3 tons, with up to 4x that expected to be reduced in the coming year.
What you can do with this idea:
- Support produce vendors and farmers who face a lack of cold storage facilities to boost the shelf life of their goods, reduce waste and secure better prices.
- Increase use of cold storage rooms to contribute positive climate impacts locally.
- Collaborate with women’s collectives to bring more women into the economy and generate additional income for a new workforce.
Download Fact Sheet:
“Climate change solutions, women empowerment, social inclusion have been the core themes of this project and are the driving forces toward strengthening the local economy during COVID and the post COVID scenario. We are very hopeful that our solution will be scaled up in various parts of India and that Rourkela city will act as a role model for many other cities.”
Dibyajyoti Parida,
IAS. Hon. Commissioner, Municipal Corporation and CEO Rourkela Smart City