Sougou Penda Ngane | September 3, 2026
News Brief
In Senegal, it’s estimated that up to 30% of vegetables grown are lost to spoilage, and up to 25% of all crop production is lost due to a lack of storage infrastructure. Without adequate storage, crops such as tomatoes, onions, mangoes, and potatoes can spoil within days, cutting into farmers’ incomes and wasting valuable food. To address this challenge, Senegalese engineer and entrepreneur Ndèye Marie Aïda Ndiéguène developed I3S, or Innovative Storage Space Solution for Smallholder Farmers. This storage facility is built using a combination of recycled materials, like used tires and plastic bottles, along with natural materials, like soil and typha. With engineering principles and energy exchange, the temperature in the storage facility is 5 to 7°C lower than outside temperatures, keeping food fresher for longer.
Too much food goes to waste, spoiling before it can be sold and eaten. Post-harvest loss affects farmers across Africa, as they see their hard work and investment go to waste. In Senegal, it’s estimated that up to 30% of vegetables grown are lost to spoilage, and up to 25% of all crop production is lost due to a lack of storage infrastructure. Without adequate storage, crops such as tomatoes, onions, mangoes, and potatoes can spoil within days, cutting into farmers’ incomes and wasting valuable food.
To address this challenge, Senegalese engineer and entrepreneur Ndèye Marie Aïda Ndiéguène developed I3S, or Innovative Storage Space Solution for Smallholder Farmers. I3S storage facilities are built using a combination of recycled materials, including used tires, plastic bottles and plastic bags, and natural materials such as soil and typha. Unlike conventional storage facilities, their design uses engineering principles and energy exchange to maintain temperatures through the natural properties of these materials, while promoting air circulation and reducing the effects of heat and humidity. I3S facilities are available in both individual and community models: individual units are acquired by individual producers, while larger facilities are acquired collectively by producer unions, with members contributing funds towards their purchase.
Ms. Ndiéguène is the founder of Ecobuilders MS. She says, “An innovation only has value when it concretely improves people’s lives.”
The idea grew from her work with farmers, where she saw how quickly a significant portion of their harvests could be lost after harvest. Ms. Ndiéguène says, “I saw farmers lose months of work simply because they did not have a suitable storage system. That was when I realized that something had to be done.”
The design can lower the temperature inside the storage space by 5 to 7°C compared to the outside temperature, without refrigeration. It can keep potatoes for up to three months and onions for up to six months.
The organization says post-harvest losses have fallen to less than one per cent in I3S storage facilities, based on six years of technical and scientific monitoring.
Seven community I3S storage facilities are now operating in key agricultural areas across Senegal, including the Thiès region, the Saloum Delta, and the Senegal River Valley. Depending on the needs of the community, I3S facilities can have storage capacities ranging from 10 to 240 tonnes. According to Ecobuilders MS, more than 42,000 small-scale farmers have used the facilities over the past six years.
Among the farmers using I3S is Papa Gueye, a farmer from Keur Abdou Ndoye village in Kayar, one of Senegal’s major vegetable-growing areas. He has used the system to store his potato and onion harvests since 2021.
Before using I3S, Mr. Gueye says he could lose up to 60% of his harvest because of poor storage conditions. Since adopting the system, he says his losses have fallen to less than one per cent.
Mr. Gueye says, “Thanks to the I3S system, we can better preserve our harvests and reduce losses. My wish is for every Senegalese farmer to benefit from this innovation so they can improve their working conditions and incomes.”
Better storage also gives farmers greater control over when they sell their produce. Instead of selling immediately after harvest when prices may be low, they can preserve their crops and wait for more favourable market conditions.
Ms. Ndiéguène says, “Farmers are gaining greater control over their activities and improving their incomes.”
Ecobuilders MS plans to expand the I3S system to more regions of Senegal and eventually to other African countries facing similar challenges.
Ms. Ndiéguène says goal is to, “Our develop solutions that respond to communities’ needs, create economic value, and contribute to a more resilient future.”