Help us build a sustainable solution to rural poverty!
Solar Dehydrators provide extra income for small scale farmers in Guatemala by drying their natural products without burning wood and little additional labor.
Over 4 years, we have built 4 dehydrators in rural communities with volunteer engineers, we collected data and recommendations for improvement, and designed a much better dehydrator that standardizes production for more successful rural businesses.
In 2019, Peace Corps Mexico, Appropriate Technology Collaborative and University of Technology Tulancingo, Mexico (UTec) worked together to design the second prototype of our solar dehydrator. Right now we are ready to build it in Guatemala with 3 talented engineering students from UTec who are turning in their thesis on solar dehydrators this May!
To take advantage of their expertise, we need to raise $1,000 to purchase materials by March 30th. Can you help us make this progressive intercultural project happen?
The new prototype will be built with technical staff of the Sustainable Agriculture Training Center run by a reputable Microcredit Cooperative in Argueta, Solola, Guatemala. That way, rural farmers can test out the technology, recieve training, and get credit to build their own.
On March 30th, three Mexican Engineering students volunteer to build the new solar dehydator, test it, teach local technicians how to build it, and teach local farmers how to use it.
They'll be working with ATC staff and living in the community for over two months to build this passive solar dehydrator with solar powered fans that are automated with a humidity and temperature gage. They'll be doing research, collecting data, writing reports and perfecting the design so we can share it open-source, online for people worldwide to access.
Can you help us create sustainable income opportunities with this new solar dehydrator?
It all starts with this one prototype.
Thank you for joining us!
PS: Check out the Reports on the Project Page below to learn more
