Eco-friendly solar drying system. Photo/David Oduut
Uganda’s coffee industry has long struggled with post-harvest losses, significantly affecting farmers’ livelihoods. However, Ekoom Stephen, founder of The Farmers Guide Uganda, is changing this narrative through his pioneering solar-powered drying technology.
A study by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) reveals that post-harvest losses account for up to 60 percent of coffee produce. Ekoom’s innovation seeks to reduce these losses.
Growing up in Mbale District, Ekoom, originally from Kapopong village in Kolir Sub-county, Bukedea District, witnessed firsthand the struggles of coffee farmers, who lost significant amounts of their harvest when drying beans on the bare ground. Farmers often found chunks of their coffee rotting due to moisture, while quality was compromised by bird droppings and contamination from stones.
Combining his academic background, with degrees in Community Development and Science in Agriculture, Ekoom devised a solution that tackled both the social and agricultural challenges.
"I saw the potential for improvement and decided to act," Ekoom recounts. "My background in Community Development helped me understand the social impact, while Science in Agriculture enabled me to develop practical solutions."
Ekoom Stephen, founder of The Farmers Guide Uganda. Photo/David Oduut
After extensive research, Ekoom, who describes himself as a "solution entrepreneur," developed an enclosed solar-powered drying system. The dryers utilize solar energy and 200-micron UV polythene sheets to generate heat, expediting the drying process while protecting produce from external contaminants.
How it works:
Solar dryers are devices that use sun energy via UV polythene sheets to remove moisture from food substances. Besides speeding up the drying process, they also prevent dust, pathogens, bird droppings, and other contaminants from compromising the produce. The same technology is applicable to fruits, vegetables, tubers, spices, maize, and other food items. Properly dried produce can then be stored for longer periods, significantly minimizing post-harvest losses.
"This technology is also essential in addressing the aflatoxin crisis in maize and other crops," Ekoom said.
Mary Nakku, a farmer from Mbale, testified: "Ekoom’s solar dryers save our yields and increased our earnings. Before, I could harvest 20 bags but end up selling only 9, the rest was lost during drying. This is no longer the case. We can now afford to send our children to school."
The technology is already benefiting hundreds of farmers across the Elgon sub-region.
"The solar dryers are important in managing the quality of coffee beans, and I can ably report that the quality of our coffee has significantly improved by 75 percent compared to what we used to produce in previous years," said Mike Cherop of Aps Foundation, a coffee farmers’ group in Kapchorwa District.
Through The Farmers Guide Uganda Limited, in partnership with Sawa World and the Ujaana Coffee Project, Ekoom has promoted solar drying across Uganda, supplying over 250 solar dryers to farmers.
The solar dryers are sold at subsidized prices to make them affordable for local farmers.
An enclosed solar-powered drying system. Photo/David Oduut
The cost:
A 2-tonne capacity solar dryer costs about Shs25 million.
A portable wooden solar dryer with a 50kg capacity costs about Shs500,000.
According to Ekoom, through his organization The Farmers Guide Uganda, he has: trained over 5,000 farmers in modern and effective post-harvest handling techniques, installed 500 solar dryers countrywide and increased farmer incomes by 30 percent.
Coffee remains Uganda’s major export and a critical economic pillar. Over the past 12 months, from March 2024 to February 2025, Uganda exported 6.57 million bags of coffee, earning $1.7 billion (approximately Shs6.287 trillion). This was an improvement from 6.14 million bags worth $999.84 million (about Shs3.655 trillion) the previous year — a growth of 6.99 percent in quantity and 70.71 percent in value.
Looking ahead, Ekoom believes his eco-friendly solar drying system could be adopted by potato and cassava farmer groups to improve food drying practices across Uganda, moving away from the unhygienic practice of drying food along tarmac roads.
"Solar drying, which is a good post-harvest handling method, can also help us address the aflatoxin crisis in maize," said Ekoom, who contested but lost the Bukedea County Parliamentary seat in 2021 under the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket.
