Harvest Cool

农业在尼日利亚经济中发挥着重要作用，贡献了22.35%的国内生产总值(2021年)，雇用了该国70%的人口维持生计(1)。洋葱是一种利润丰厚的旱季灌溉作物，年产量约2公吨，主要产于尼日利亚北部。由于对农艺措施的投资较少，以及收获后的损失(高达50%)，洋葱种植者的机会没有完全实现。传统的洋葱干燥可以被从田地到市场的凉爽供应链所取代，然而，获取冷藏能源阻碍了这一倡议。收获凉爽项目代表了来自农业企业、农业服务和技术提供商的利益相关者，他们将提供一个集成的能源系统，为尼日利亚种植的洋葱开发低碳冷藏系统。该伙伴关系包括：PyroGenesys(生物质热解技术)；薰衣草田(农产品聚集商和营销商)；尼日利亚农业企业集团和Agrolog(尼日利亚农业推广服务)；以及伦敦大学学院(生命周期评估投入)。该项目建立在Lavender Fields进行的可行性研究的基础上，确定了向尼日利亚卡诺的一个主要洋葱市场(Karfi)销售产品的农业社区，并证明有必要为易腐烂的作物开发凉爽的供应链。该项目在结合独特的工程设计方面具有创新性，这些设计解决了从田间到中央储存点的冷藏问题。该项目在商业模式的概念上也是创新的，该模式考虑了能源供应；减少食物垃圾的好处；增加低收入农业社区的价值；以及一个有潜力改善农业条件和土壤固碳能力的循环碳农业系统。该项目将通过整个系统的全球变暖潜力生命周期评估进行定量评估，并通过社区互动计划进行定性评估，展示该项目对解决SDG7负担得起的清洁能源和SDG13气候变化的贡献。参考文献1 https://www.fao.org/nigeria/fao-in-nigeria/nigeria-at-a-glance/en/

Agriculture plays a significant role in the Nigerian economy, contributing 22.35% GDP (2021) and employing \>70% of its population at subsistence level(1). Onions are a lucrative, dry season irrigated crop and ~2 Mt/annum are produced, largely in Northern Nigeria. Opportunities for onion farmers are not fully realised, due to low investment in agronomic practices, and post-harvest losses (up to 50%). Traditional drying of onions could be replaced by a cool supply chain from field to market, however, access to energy for chilling hampers this initiative.The Harvest Cool project represents stakeholders from farming business, agricultural services, and technology providers who will deliver an integrated energy system to develop a low carbon cold storage system for onions grown in Nigeria. The partnership comprises PyroGenesys (biomass pyrolysis technology); Lavender Fields (agricultural produce aggregator and marketer); the Nigeria Agribusiness Group and Agrolog (agricultural extension services, Nigeria) and University College London (Life Cycle Assessment input). The project builds on a feasibility study carried out by Lavender Fields, identifying farming communities which sell to a major onion market (Karfi) in Kano, Nigeria, with a demonstrable need to develop cool supply chains for perishable crops.The project is innovative in bringing together unique engineering designs which address cold storage for transport from the field to a central storage point. The project is also innovative in the conception of a business model which considers energy provision; the benefits of food waste reduction; adding value to low income farming communities; and a circular carbon farming system with potential to improve agronomic conditions and carbon sequestration in soils.The project will be assessed quantitatively through Life Cycle Assessment of global warming potential (GWP) of the overall system and qualitatively through a programme of community interactions, demonstrating the project's contribution to addressing SDG7 Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG13 Climate Change.REFERENCES(1) https://www.fao.org/nigeria/fao-in-nigeria/nigeria-at-a-glance/en/