Rene Oostewechel

Rene works in low and middle income countries (LMICs), where he develops SOPs (standard operating procedures) for various product-market combinations for fruit and vegetable crops as well as root crops.

We do not promote expensive high-tech solutions but rather adapt the technology choice to match the type of farmers and markets and their capacity to invest or pay premium prices. Hereby improved handling and time management often are a good alternative or addition to investments in technology.

Different product-market combinations have different requirements for cold chain. Often part of the chain may well be ambient, saving on investments, energy use and operational costs. Economic viability is key.
Other activities concern postharvest assessment, for which recently a standard methodology was developed. This is actually a pre-feasibility and helps financial institutions and governments to significantly fine-tune TORs for interventions, including alternatives and risks mitigation.

Example references:
- Report on the Postharvest Assessment Methodology
- The Haiti SOP/ block chain project summary