VaultBubble

Food aid is a poor substitute for the dignity of self reliance. It is estimated that in parts of Africa, more than 50% of the harvested grain is spoilt by insect pests, birds, rats & mice, fungi, rot, and contamination. If this storage wastage could be reduced to more tolerable levels, there may be no need for food aid in Africa.

The Challenge

Contemporary Below Ground Chinese Granary

What is needed is a low cost storage vault that can be sized and expanded according to the need. Ideally it should be ventilated using natural convection to initially dry and cool the stored seeds but be sealable when required, to increase CO₂ levels for natural disinfection once the optimal moisture content for long term storage has been reached. A best practice approach would be to combine silo design with mass production of a vessel that is correctly sized to meet the needs of small scale and subsistence farmers. The benefits of underground granaries is well known and has been used for thousands of years by some cultures. The VaultBubble could be used as a temporary above ground granary or for an inter-generational installation below ground in virtually any soil condition to benefit from the cool stable temperatures.

We need post-harvest scientists and passive solar engineers and ventilation specialists to become FutureSmiths with us on this project. Please join the team if you can contribute to overcoming the challenges.