Solar-Powered Cold Storage and Post-Harvest Losses: A Comparative Supply Chain Analysis of Mango Marketable Surplus in Sikasso, Mali

{ "background": "Post-harvest losses of perishable fruits, particularly mangoes, represent a critical constraint to farmer livelihoods and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. In Mali, the Sikasso region is a major production zone, but significant volumes are lost due to inadequate storage and spoilage along traditional supply chains.", "purpose and objectives": "This study conducts a comparative supply chain analysis to quantify the impact of introducing decentralised, solar-powered cold storage units on the marketable surplus and economic wastage of mangoes for smallholder growers.", "methodology": "A quasi-experimental design compared two cohorts of smallholder mango farmers: a treatment group with access to a communal solar cold store and a control group using conventional ambient storage. Data on harvest volumes, sales, and losses were collected through structured surveys and direct weighing at multiple nodes. The impact was estimated using a difference-in-differences model: $Y{it} = \\beta0 + \\beta1 \\text{Treat}i + \\beta2 \\text{Post}t + \\delta (\\text{Treat}i \\times \\text{Post}t) + \\epsilon_{it}$, with inference based on cluster-robust standard errors.", "findings": "Access to cold storage increased the proportion of marketable surplus by an average of 18.7 percentage points (95% CI: 14.2, 23.2) for treated farmers. This was directly attributable to a reduction in spoilage, particularly during the critical period between harvest and collection by intermediaries.", "conclusion": "Decentralised solar cold storage is a technically viable and effective intervention for mitigating post-harvest losses in mango supply chains within the study context, directly enhancing the marketable output of smallholders.", "recommendations": "Policy and development initiatives should prioritise integrated models that combine renewable energy infrastructure with cooperative storage management and strengthened market linkages to ensure economic sustainability.", "key words": "post-harvest losses, solar energy,