SolarFood

07/07/2026

From Himalayan Fields to the Solar Dryer: Can Sunlight Preserve the Aroma of Nepalese Lemongrass?

10/04/2026

Who Buys, Who Sells, and What Stands in Between: Fieldnotes from Nepal.

What challenges do farmers face in their attempts to access markets? In this fieldnote, two master’s students who are associated with the SolarFood project share preliminary insights from their ongoing fieldwork among actors across the food value chain in the Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara in Nepal. See article in the comment feed.

30/03/2026

Easter is here—we are excited to share a small treat with you! Watch our first demonstration video of a hybrid solar dryer installed at GCBS in Gedu, Bhutan. More to come—follow SolarFoods' very own YouTube channel.

Hybrid solar dryer demonstration in Bhutan

This is the first demonstration of a hybrid solar dryer installed at GCBS in Gedu, Bhutan. It forms part of the interdisciplinary research project SolarFood....

08/03/2026

Can solar energy technology empower women and boost local food systems in the Nepalese Himalaya region? At this International Women’s Day, we highlight the daily work, ownership and leadership of women in an agricultural cooperative in Pokhara.

By Dolendra Paudel and Roshee Lamichhane In February, Solar Food researchers visited a women-led agricultural cooperative in Pokhara, Nepal as part of our ongoing research on solar drying, gender and labor analysis, and alternative finance. The visit to the cooperative was an important step in mappi...

16/01/2026

Solar dryers, gender and alternative finance: field insights from Bhutan

In November 2025, the Solar Food team conducted a two-week fieldwork with several stakeholders in Bhutan. Among these were a women-led agricultural cooperative in the Chukha district, alternative finance providers in Thimpu, and representatives at the Post Harvest Centre in Paro. Women are generally...

16/01/2026

The SolarFood team kickstarts fieldwork in Bhutan and Nepal

Prof. Pia Otte and Dr. Isabelle Hugøy (both from Ruralis) travelled to Nepal in November where they met with Noah Andreasson, a research assistant and technical representative from Lund University, and technical and social science partners from Kathmandu University (KU), including Prof. Bivek Baral...

16/01/2026

Strengthening Solar Dryer Innovation Through International Student and Researcher Exchange

Work package 4 in the project is concerned with the technical development of the solar dryers and is led by Lund University. The technology developed in Solar Food is based on a prototype developed in a previous solar food project led by Lund University. The unique contribution of this solar dryer i...

16/01/2026

The new SolarFood project held its inaugural meeting in Dhulikhel, Nepal on April 3rd 2025. The new project is led by Ruralis and funded by the Research Council of Norway.

SolarFood aims to develop business models for solar-dried fruit initiatives in Bhutan and Nepal. These countries experience significant post-harvest losses due to limited food preservation techniques and inadequate storage infrastructure. Solar drying is a good option. Small-scale farmers already us...