Varun Raheja, a mechanical engineer from India, was always fascinated by farming. As he loves nature, he considered farming, and working closely with flora and fauna, to be the best occupation and work in the world.
However, when Raheja learned about the situation of many small farmers in India, struggling with poverty and few options to increase and diversify their income, instead of becoming a farmer himself, he decided to tap into his knowledge as a mechanical engineer to help rural communities.
In India, approximately 80 per cent of farmers are poor, marginal producers. Among the challenges they face are fluctuating market prices. A tomato can sell for US$0.28 one month and only US$0.03 one month later. However, farmers are not able to preserve their food for more than 1 to 2 weeks because of electricity costs, poor infrastructure and lack of funding to invest in storage facilities.
Read More at: https://www.unep.org/youngchampions/news/story/solar-dryers-reduce-farmers-food-loss-india