2018 ASHS Annual Conference

According to recent studies and despite the efforts of the government and international donors, the rural population of Bangladesh suffers from chronic malnutrition. Climate change results in longer cyclone seasons and erratic weather that reduce the capacity of local population to secure year round availability of nutritious crops. It has been shown that horticultural crops can provide the necessary micronutrients for a healthy lifestyle. The lack of accessible, low cost methods to maintain produce quality after harvest along with the high prices of imported produce further reduce off-season consumption of fresh horticultural crops. A number of previously-tested, low cost technologies have been implemented in selected locations in southern Bangladesh. These technologies aim to reduce food losses and extend the availability of nutritious foods while they support the incomes of smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs. Cooling is the most important method of food loss reduction, but is out of reach for most smallholder farmers due to high setup and running costs. The Horticulture Innovation Lab has installed 12 low cost CoolBot-operated cold rooms that act as local, short-term cold storage points. In addition, data is being collected remotely on usage, power availability, and temperature settings, along with a high tech alarm notification system called ColdTrace. Drying is a popular preservation technique in Bangladesh which often produces lower quality or contaminated products due to high humidity levels. Our team has installed innovative UC Davis-invented solar dryers, which facilitate airflow and reduce drying times while improving the quality of dried products. Seasonal flooding and expansion of aquaculture reduce the availability of suitable locations for family gardens which provide safe and nutritious vegetables and herbs. A bamboo raft was designed to hold soilless media for vegetable production, and these are floated in the sunny part of fishponds. This technology can combat food insecurity when water levels in the region rise by providing small plant-growing platforms that can be used even during the rainy season. Our team gathers an extensive number of data points including inputs and outputs to extrapolate the profitability prerequisites and potentials for each technology using a UC Davis-developed model. Based on the preliminary data of this ongoing study, the implementation, operation and scaling of the above technologies supports household nutrition, adequate quality and quantity of food intake, and can potentially reduce illness while supporting inclusive economic development.