Kopernik finds what works to reduce poverty by experimenting with potential solutions that address common challenges facing people living in the last mile. Indonesia produces several of the world’s most in-demand soft commodities, such as cashews, copra and cacao. The majority of farmers for these commodities are smallholders. The practice of sun-drying is common among smallholders in Indonesia, albeit time-consuming, labor intensive and weather dependant. In response to this problem, Kopernik conducted a series of experiments, designing and testing solar dryers, aiming to provide a locally available dryer with the cost and capacity aligned with the needs of smallholders.

Kopernik rapidly tests innovative solutions in last mile contexts to determine their potential to reduce poverty effectively. In these experiments Kopernik adopts a lean approach, collecting and analyzing small-scale data to determine the effectiveness of the solutions. Kopernik undertakes a series of phases to learn and tweak our path during the experiment. For this project, Kopernik implemented a series of projects across Indonesia, we worked with cacao beans from October 2016 to November 2017 in Angkah Village, Bali. We worked with cashews and copra in Pajinian Village, Adonara Island, East Flores and cashews in Padung Village, East Nusa Tenggara. These projects started from May 2016 to January 2018. Phase three will be implemented in 2019 in Bali. Kopernik measured three variables, comparing different solar dryer designs with the traditional drying method and an electric oven (cashews): 1) Time taken to achieve optimal moisture level, 2) Quality of the products after the drying process, and 3) Opportunities for extra income.

Kopernik’s local partners are engaged to collaborate on a project due to their expertise in a particular sector. A partnership agreement is signed, and a project profile is agreed between all partners. Kopernik worked with a different partner in each stage because they each had expertise in different commodities. Kopernik partnered with UPH Subak Abian Buana Mekar for cacao beans in Bali, Maria Loretha for cashews and copra in Pajinian village, Adonara Island and Koperasi Punaliput for cashews in Padung village in East Nusa Tenggara. Kopernik’s general role is to carry out the assessment of simple technologies aimed at last mile communities. Kopernik designs the experiment and gathers funding through our online crowdfunding platform and by applying for grants. Kopernik also fulfills the role of writing project reports and disseminating these findings. We do this by publishing the results of the projects online through our website and by presenting what we do and what we have learned at international events. We also hold stakeholder meetings at the end of each project to discuss our findings with key players as a way of capacity-building and involving other public and private interest groups. Kopernik’s end goal with this project is to develop a solar dryer design that can be built with locally available materials to alleviate issues related to traditional drying methods and to increase smallholders’ income.

Kopernik’s Solutions Lab serves communities in the last mile by conducting lean experiments to find what works. Our projects are largely related to finding appropriate simple technological solutions to reduce poverty. Kopernik’s Solutions Lab team is comprised of engineers, economists, industrial designers and project management specialists that are experienced in product development, logistics, business planning, project management, data collection/analysis and report writing. Since our team’s establishment in 2017, we have conducted over 30 experiments across six sectors to support the sustainable development goals. In our projects, we engage local partners because of their expertise and availability to monitor and carry out the experiment in the field as most of our projects are located in remote areas. This series of solar drying experiments was conducted in response to findings in Kopernik’s Unmet Needs Report published in 2016. We learnt that very few commercial dryers exist that have been tested and proven beneficial for Indonesia’s most important soft commodities. Kopernik’s Solutions Lab then engaged farmer groups and individual farmers in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara Provinces to test different solar dryer designs for cashew, copra and cacao beans. The Solutions Lab is responsible for managing the partnership, collecting data, writing the final report and disseminating that information amongst like-minded professionals with the ultimate aim that a solar dryer can be designed that is easy to build with locally available resources, is affordable and results in higher income for the smallholder farmer.

UPH (Unit Pengolahan Hasil) Subak Abian Buana Mekar, Koperasi Punaliput, and Daiwa Securities Group and Russell Investments