At the end of 2023, three solar-powered cold rooms were commissioned in Timbi Madina, Sallya and Manéah, Guinea, with funding from Enabel and technical support from MARGE. To ensure proper management of these facilities over time, Enabel hired MARGE with the objective of assisting local teams at a technical and organisational level: recruitment of local staff, training on best practices, implementation of management agreements, etc.
After less than two years of operation, initial feedback studies show that cold rooms contribute to a 20% increase in agricultural yields thanks to improved seed quality and better control on the planting season. On average, the area cultivated by farmers using these cold rooms has increased from 2 ha to 4.2 ha, and their income has increased by 24.5%.
Cold storage rooms have also contributed to the creation of local jobs and the training of specialised technicians in the community, particularly women and young people. Income generating activities around the cold rooms include management, sorting and handling.
Implementation of good management practices, allows the 3 cold rooms to generate enough income to cover all operational costs and to provision for future equipment replacement (e.g. batteries).
It appears that the keys to success for these projects lie, in particular, in the sound structure of the management model, the commitment of local stakeholders and the economic viability of the project. When these factors are combined, results are achieved and contribute to the sustainability of this infrastructure over time and to increased income for the infrastructure’s users.
Building on this success, agricultural federations using the cold rooms are now looking to replicate the project to increase their storage capacity! A call for partners !