Solar,
Chorong’i Coffee Factory in Ruring’u ward, Nyeri Central Sub County, is among factories set to benefit from new solar dryers to help in cutting down on operational costs. The initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Climate Change, is part of the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA).
The project is also in compliance with the National Climate Action Change Act of 2016 that mandates counties to integrate climate change actions into their development programmes and governance structures.
The driers will enhance the processing capacity and quality of coffee beans produced by the targeted factories. Nyeri County Climate Change Director Yvonne Mathenge says the County Government hopes to extend the programme to at least four other factories in coming days.
“We had a budget to undertake installation of three or four solar driers and have already done two. We are preparing to do another one or two more in other areas. It’s one of the priority actions we are taking in climate action change and optimization of production in the agriculture sector and the manufacturing sector,” she has told KNA.
One of the advantages of the solar dryers over the conventional ones that run on natural sunlight or electricity to dry coffee beans was the fact that the former are not affected by changes in weather or unintended blackouts.
In addition, the temperature of the driers could always be regulated to avoid overheating which can affect the quality of the produce. Ms Mathenge says the project not only promotes sustainable practices through harnessing solar energy but also supports the farmers in reducing processing costs and increasing their income.
The solar dryers will similarly help improve the drying process, leading to better preservation of coffee quality and a higher market value for the product.
“We are encouraging the solar dryers because by the end of day it means they are saving on operation costs and it’s an advantage for them(farmers). So it’s a good thing and it’s making work easier for they are able to process more, use less time and incur less costs,” she added.
Last year, the County Department of Water, Environment and Climate Change came up with a proposal that would see the county dedicate a percentage of its annual development budget to climate change mitigation. The proposals were contained in the Climate Change Act and the Climate Change Fund Regulations.
The move was one of the first steps towards ensuring the county was able to fund climate change mitigation strategies.
“The Climate Change Act and the Climate Change Fund Regulations are proposing that at least one per cent of the county’s development budget be set aside for climate change strategies. The model will be similar to the county integrated development plan where the county government dedicates funds in the budget to go towards the programmes,” said Ms Mathenge in regard to the new regulation.
“Our hope is that moving forward, climate change mitigation will not just be about dependency on foreign support. We want to ensure that as a county, we have a strategy that we can start implementing some of these measures even as we are looking out for external assistance,” she added.