APRIL 2024
Friday 22
Verevere, Nakorotubu in Ra received a brand new solar dryer last week, bringing exciting news to the Rise Beyond the Reef partner community.
Dr. Bennett, a designer of innovative solar dryers for Pacific communities, constructed this latest dryer. These dryers empower women in Verevere to significantly increase production of high-quality voivoi (pandanus), a key material used in weaving. This translates to a sustainable win for the environment and the community’s economic development.
The initiative marks the beginning of a larger vision. Rise Beyond the Reef aims to install solar dryers in every community they partner with, maximizing voivoi production capacity.
Janet Lotawa, Director and Co-founder of Rise Beyond the Reef, commended Dr. Bennett’s work, highlighting his extensive experience in building solar dryer facilities across the Pacific.
This project is a collaborative effort funded by the Farmers’ Organizations for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (fo4acp) Project, a joint partnership between the European Union, ACP, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), facilitated by Pacific Farmer Organisations.