Kimaro Dismas, Nyangarika Anthony, Kivevele Thomas
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), P.O. BOX 447, Arusha, Tanzania.
Heliyon. 2024 Nov 27;10(23):e40726. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40726. eCollection 2024 Dec 15.
This review explores solar dryers' use for agricultural products, focusing on their socioeconomic benefits in the community. Despite significant technical advancements in solar dryers, there is a notable lack of documentation regarding their socioeconomic impacts on society. This gap impedes awareness of the potential benefits of solar dryers, contributing to their low adoption rates and, consequently, limiting their overall impact on society. A decade of published articles from Google Scholar, Scopus, Embase, and Taylor and Francis were synthesized through content analysis to gather evidence on the socioeconomic benefits of this technology. The review found technical advancements from passive to hybrid systems, highlighting their potential to enhance drying efficiency, product quality, and economic, social, and environmental benefits. The evidence of the socioeconomic benefits, in particular, indicates that solar dryers can increase farmers' annual profits by $15,683, reduce drying operation costs by $757.31, and save up to 5 days of drying time. Furthermore, the study found that solar dryers contribute to environmental conservation initiatives by mitigating the emission of up to 430,714.76 tons of CO in a year, minimizing overdependence on traditional energy sources, increasing energy accessibility, and optimizing drying space. However, the review identifies a need for further research to quantify solar dryers' impact on postharvest management, waste reduction, and job creation in the agricultural drying value chain. It also recommends involving society in technology co-creation and suggests that policymakers and practitioners incentivize their adoption through financial and non-financial support.
本综述探讨了太阳能干燥器在农产品方面的应用，重点关注其在社区中的社会经济效益。尽管太阳能干燥器在技术上取得了重大进步，但关于它们对社会的社会经济影响的文献却明显不足。这一差距阻碍了人们对太阳能干燥器潜在益处的认识，导致其采用率较低，进而限制了它们对社会的整体影响。通过对来自谷歌学术、Scopus、Embase以及泰勒与弗朗西斯出版社发表的十年文章进行内容分析，以收集有关该技术社会经济效益的证据。综述发现了从被动系统到混合系统的技术进步，突出了它们在提高干燥效率、产品质量以及经济、社会和环境效益方面的潜力。特别是社会经济效益的证据表明，太阳能干燥器可使农民年利润增加15,683美元，降低干燥运营成本757.31美元，并节省多达5天的干燥时间。此外，研究发现太阳能干燥器通过每年减少多达430,714.76吨二氧化碳的排放、减少对传统能源的过度依赖、提高能源可及性以及优化干燥空间，为环境保护举措做出了贡献。然而，综述指出需要进一步研究来量化太阳能干燥器对农业干燥价值链中的收获后管理、减少浪费和创造就业的影响。它还建议让社会参与技术共创，并建议政策制定者和从业者通过财政和非财政支持来激励其采用。
