This dissertation by KNUST student Daniel Owusu evaluates the performance of a steel cocoa pod splitter originaly developed in a Creative Capacity Building training at Fomena in Ghana. It was evaluated on the parameters of splitting rate, percentage of beans damaged, and the force required to break one pod compared to the traditional method of using cutlass.
This dissertation by KNUST student Priscilla Mensah evaluates the performance of a cassava peeler developed in a Creative Capacity Building training in Adansi, Ghana. The peeler was evaluated on throughput capacity, efficiency, and safety compared to the traditional method.
Build-It instructions for a handheld maize sheller. This build-it is designed to be taught to a group of all skill levels, and teaches hands-on basic metalworking techniques to those that participate. This design requires a specific jig for crimping (blueprints included), which can be made by any metalworker with basic welding supplies.
Build-It instructions for a detachable metal arrowhead. This build-it is designed to be taught to a group of all skill levels, and teaches hands-on basic metalworking techniques to those that participate.
In this paper, KNUST and MIT D-Lab researchers detail their research on the development and design of a solar dryer with biomass backup heater for drying fruits.
This paper reviews various studies on the impact of rice cultivation on greenhouse gas emissions. Based on the review, researchers from IDIN Academic Partner KNUST developed a conceptual framework that evaluates the impact of rice cultivation on greenhouse gas emissions in Ghana.
This report was produced by IDIN 2016 Summer Research Fellow Katrine Tjoelsen, who traveled to Gurue, Mozambique to understand the dynamics of local innovation among smallholders farmers in this rural community. This report presents a summary of findings from 30 interviews with smallholder farmers as well as insights from a much larger survey administered in collaboration with TechnoServe, the local project partner for this research.
This report and case study presents the research of IDIN 2016 Summer Research Fellow Jessica Gordon, who researched an innovative poverty alleviation and climate adaptation pilot project in a village in rural western China. The case study finds that the project was effective in influencing the local development plan for the area to take into consideration climate change adaptation and mitigation and to link these issues to poverty reduction, making this the first county in China to develop a climate resilient local development plan.
This report summarizes the research of 2016 IDIN Summer Research Fellows Kate Collins and Bar Pereg, who conducted research on the role of assembly traders in the value chains for smallholder maize production in Uganda. This report identifies three key barriers that currently prevent smallscale agregators from playing a more beneficial role in the supply chain and also identifies several promising and innovative local initiatives that are piloting solutions to the key challenges identified.
This undergraduate thesis presents the results of 28 in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs and local innovators in four cities across Ghana. The thesis explores the motivations and backgrounds of these entrepreneurs, the factors that have led them to create their own businesses, and structural enablers and barriers to local innovation in the Ghanaian context. This research builds on fieldwork conducted by the co-authors through the IDIN Summer Research Fellowship.
