This is quite interesting, it’s a way to keep food cool that doesn’t require electricity. It involves taking a small clay pot and putting it inside a larger one. The space between the two pots is then filled with wet sand the food is placed inside the smaller pot and the top is covered with a wet cloth. As the water evaporates it draws the heat out keeping the inside cold and the food fresh for up to three weeks. The system is now being used by farmers in northern Nigeria who previously has problems storing fruit and vegetables because they had no electricity in their villages. They can now store an eggplant for 27 days instead of it spoiling after 3 and spinach lasts 12 days rather than 1 meaning that farmers no longer have to sell their produce in a hurry. In addition the revival of the pot industry is helping to reduce unemployment in the region. It’s amazing how sometimes very simple ideas can make a real difference.
