HDIC-KTI-03 · Kitui County
Solar Drying of Produce Integration Hub
Low-carbon post-harvest infrastructure that aggregates fresh produce, washes and prepares it, and preserves it through solar-tunnel drying for domestic and export markets — reducing post-harvest losses while creating rural employment.
Image is AI-generated for illustration
Value chain
- 01Farm produce
- 02Aggregation
- 03Washing & preparation
- 04Solar drying
- 05Quality assurance
- 06Packaging
- 07Storage
- 08Domestic & export markets
Problem
Post-harvest losses for perishable produce in Kenya's ASAL counties routinely exceed 30% in peak seasons, eroding smallholder income and market reliability.
HDIC approach
HDIC installs solar-tunnel drying capacity co-located with wash, sort and pack facilities, provides working capital to aggregate produce from cooperatives, and links output to domestic buyers and export intermediaries under quality-assured brands.
Objectives
- ◆Reduce post-harvest losses across contracted farmer groups
- ◆Create women- and youth-led wash, sort and pack employment
- ◆Establish traceable, quality-assured dried-produce lines
- ◆Develop reliable domestic and export offtake relationships
Components
Modular polycarbonate drying capacity.
Food-safety-graded produce handling.
Certification-ready lot tracking.
Domestic and export offtake.
Beneficiary targets
Implementation phases
- Phase 01Phase 1 · Site & pilot line
First solar-tunnel bank and cooperative onboarding.
- Phase 02Phase 2 · Full drying capacity
Multi-tunnel installation and market build.
- Phase 03Phase 3 · Export readiness
Certification and export packing.
Funding
Requirement figure to be published upon HDIC executive approval. Currencies supported: KES, USD.
Use of funds
- Solar drying infrastructure45%
- Wash & pack line20%
- Working capital20%
- Certification & market development15%
Risks & mitigations
Multi-crop calendar and regional sourcing.
Anchored offtake and diversified buyers.
Monitoring indicators
Related projects