KinoSol: Solar Dehydration in Thailand
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The Honors project is potentially the most valuable component of an Honors education. Typically Honors students choose to do their projects in their area of study, but some will pick a topic of interest unrelated to their major.
The Honors Program requires that the project be presented at a poster presentation event. Poster presentations are held each semester. Most students present during their senior year, but may do so earlier if their honors project has been completed.
This site presents project descriptions and selected posters for Honors projects completed since the Fall 2015 semester.
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Abstract
In Thailand, fruits and vegetables food loss is as high as 51%, as there is limited food preservation technology. This project focuses on establishing a plan to implement KinoSol units – solar powered food dehydrators to reduce the amount of food waste in two rural communities in Thailand. To determine if KinoSol units would be beneficial, 58 community members were interviewed between two rural communities through random sampling. Qualitative data was collected on community members’ perceptions regarding the usability of the KinoSol units, taste of dehydrated outputs, feasibility of community introduction, and individual’s maximum price point for the dehydrator. Grounded theory and descriptive, thematic coding were then used to assess the data. Analysis of the data showed that 24 community members thought the technology would provide benefits for their families, 25 respondents thought the technology was natural and good for the environment, 25 respondents thought the dehydrated outputs were better than the current market options, and 43 respondents were interested in dehydrating fruit. Based on survey responses and market data a community introduction plan was developed. The plan outlines implementing KinoSol units through a microcredit loan program based on current market produce prices and dehydration outputs.