InspiraFarms Solar Cooling and Bloom Growers, Nanyuki
Sustainable Finance Initiative case study
With up to 50% of fresh produce lost in post-harvest processing, the challenge of improved food security and returns from the agricultural industry is less about boosting agricultural yield than solving the critical problem of loss. InspiraFarms, in collaboration with the Sustainable Finance Initiative, a Kenya Bankers Association initiative examined the solar cooling technology innovation space.
The case study highlights an InspiraFarms client, Bloom Growers, a fresh produce exporting company located in Nanyuki, Kenya. It was started in 2019 to specialise in the growing culinary herbs export industry in Kenya. On a 6-acre land, Bloom Growers have put up their on-farm production operations, processing and an energy-efficient cold room. Their single unit cold room, of 25 square meters is connected to an external solar power system, and they can store up to 4 tonnes of herbs at a go.
This case study and video illustrate the impact that solar technology can have in substantially improving the yield, reliability, shelf life and quality of fresh agricultural products, and therefore returns to companies, workers and clients. It also considers the role of banks in supporting climate-friendly, zero-emission investment in solar cooling technology so that financial barriers to adoption can be reduced to support the widespread adoption of solar cooling technologies in Kenya and throughout the region.
Watch the full case video here.
