Objectives

General Objective:

The overall objective of the project is to improve food security and reduce poverty in the project area through increasing productivity, reducing postharvest losses, and improving the value chain of crops.

Specific objectives:

  1. To enhance the research, training, and outreach capacity of departments of Bahir Dar University involved in crop production, postharvest management, and food processing
  2. To equip stakeholders with appropriate knowledge, skills, and technologies to enhance productivity, reduce postharvest losses, and develop appropriate and affordable improved processing and preserving technologies

Expected Intermediate results

  • Building human and infrastructure capacity
  • Overcoming Apple dormancy problem
  • Developing sustainable technologies for reducing postharvest losses of onion and tomato
  • Optimizing the value chain of selected fruits and vegetables
  • Developing affordable processing technologies for selected fruits and vegetables

Phase I Main research outputs

  • Onion solar curing technology was developed, verified, and demonstrated at small scale level
  • Sustainable tomato paste production technology was developed
  • Solar drying technology for potato powder and mango slice production developed

Phase II Outreach objectives

  • To develop, demonstrate, and promote onion solar curing technology 
  • To develop, demonstrate, and promote Sustainable tomato paste prevention technology 
  • To develop, demonstrate, and promote Solar drying technology for potato powder and mango slice production 
  • To develop, demonstrate, and promote rain shelters for volunteer farmers who grow tomatoes during the rainy season. 

Phase II Outreach activities

  • Onion solar curing technology will be developed, verified, and demonstrated 
  • Sustainable tomato paste prevention technology will be developed and demonstrated 
  • Solar drying technology for potato powder and mango slice production 
  • Rain shelters will be constructed for volunteer farmers to grow tomatoes during the rainy season. 
  • pieces of training/field days and dissemination workshops will be prepared 
  • Operational manuals of the developed technologies will be prepared 
  • Papers at conferences and workshops will be presented