Inexpensive greenhouses to spur African agro-development?
The greenhouses which Professor Khanjan Mehta and his team of 4 students invented are made entirely out of locally available materials like wood, planks and nails. The covers can be made from polyethylene paper treated with ultraviolet radiation, making the product highly affordable and easy to maintain.
The inexpensively constructed greenhouses should help small-scale Kenyan flower growers to much more easily produce horticultural crops, whether for subsistence or export. A lack of money and space currently tend to pose a significant challenge for them.
Twelve different greenhouse types were developed by Mehta and his team, with the smallest costing just 55.000 Kenyan Shillings; a relatively modest price that equates to about 550 euros. Aside from the price the units also enable farmers to grow various crops throughout the year, helping to stabilize output, and contribute to keeping pesticide use down
“I hope to be able to help realize the dreams of these [Kenyan] entrepreneurs by coming up with this relatively cheap greenhouse structure," professor Mehta comments on his noble as well as successful initiative.
Source: Florint.org