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GDP（2021年），并为维持生计的人口提供了70%的就业机会(1)。洋葱是一种利润丰厚的旱季灌溉作物，年产量约为200万吨，主要在尼日利亚北部生产。由于对农艺做法的投资低，以及收获后的损失（高达50%），洋葱种植者的机会没有得到充分实现。传统的洋葱干燥可以被从田地到市场的冷却供应链所取代，然而，获取冷却能源阻碍了这一举措。Harvest Cool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，他们将提供一个综合能源系统，为尼日利亚种植的洋葱开发低碳冷藏系统。合作伙伴包括PyroGenesys（生物质热解技术）；薰衣草田（农产品集成商和营销商）；尼日利亚农业综合企业集团和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开展的一项可行性研究的基础上，该研究确定了向尼日利亚卡诺（Kano）的一个主要洋葱市场（Karfi）销售产品的农业社区，这些社区明显需要为易腐作物开发凉爽的供应链。该项目具有创新性，将独特的工程设计结合在一起，解决了从现场到中央储存点的冷藏运输问题。该项目在考虑能源供应的商业模式概念方面也具有创新性；减少食物浪费的好处；为低收入农业社区增加价值；还有一个循环碳农业系统，有可能改善农业条件和土壤中的碳固存。该项目将通过对整个系统的全球变暖潜能值（GWP）的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，以展示该项目对解决可持续发展目标7 （SDG7）和可持续发展目标13 （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/