Menna Mosbah
Women play a dominant role in the fish retailing cycle in Egypt, comprising most of the workforce in this critical link in the supply chain. But, climate change, particularly rising temperatures, are creating significant challenges for these women. Without access to proper refrigeration or improved processing methods, women fish retailers and vendors face a race against the clock every morning, if they don’t sell their products before noon, they risk spoilage of their stock, resulting in lost daily profits.
To address these challenges, the Center for Renewable Energy in Aquaculture (CeREA) project, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Cairo developed a gender-responsive and tailored cold chain solution by introducing a portable solar-powered cooler model equipped with a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel, an inverter for efficient energy conversion and a battery for reliable operation. The model features a digital balancer, an aquarium with oxygen pump to maintain optimal conditions for live fish transport, and a refrigerator to ensure continuous preservation of fish products. This model was custom designed through collecting inputs from women during a baseline study.
Listening to Women Retailers Across Egypt
In 2024, Norway and WorldFish, through the CEREA project, undertook social inclusion research in Egypt, targeting barriers women face in the aquaculture retail sector. As a component of the project’s baseline scoping study, the research aimed to integrate women and youth into renewable energy benefits within aquaculture, particularly by addressing critical challenges such as inadequate refrigeration and processing. Using a mixed-method approach via Kobo Toolbox platform, the research focused on women fish retailers and vendors across key governorates, including Kafr El Sheikh, Sharqia, Damietta, Port Said, and Fayoum.
A snowball sampling method was employed, ensuring that 30% of respondents were aged (18–35). The sample included 55 survey respondents and 32 participants at two focus group discussions (FGDs). Most respondents were involved in activities such as selling, cleaning, or grilling farmed fish, primarily Nile tilapia. The findings highlighted that the main challenges faced by these women included inadequate transportation, lack of adequate market facilities for displaying and selling fish and, most critically, a lack of cold chain solutions, which significantly hinder their ability to sustain and grow their businesses.
From Barriers to Viable Opportunities
Three initial models have been prepared for piloting, each benefiting a group of three women. The first delivery is scheduled in the coming weeks to three women’s groups in Shakshouk village, Fayoum. To ensure community engagement, WorldFish is collaborating with a local NGO to facilitate the dissemination of this model within targeted communities. The portability of the solution is essential, as women frequently travel between local markets on a daily basis, aligning with the cultural norm of consuming fish as a regular meal on specific days throughout the week. Specific days in these communities are traditionally designated for fish consumption, presenting women with peak profit-making opportunities. Moreover, given the consumer preference for buying live fish in that community, the model was specifically designed to include an aquarium for live fish transport.
The portable solar-powered cooler model introduced by CeREA project has the potential to further reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by integrating renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency, and minimizing food waste. By providing reliable refrigeration solutions, the model addresses post-harvest losses caused by high temperatures, a major source of GHG emissions in aquaculture, and reduces emissions associated with food waste. Its portability enables efficient fish transport between markets, cutting emissions from fuel-intensive transportation methods. As adoption of this model increases with time, the widespread use of solar-powered coolers will displace traditional, emission-intensive cooling practices. Moreover, the model’s alignment with local cultural practices, such as the preference for live fish, ensures sustained use and promotes long-term behavioral shifts toward sustainability. Collectively, these mechanisms contribute to a measurable reduction in the carbon footprint of the aquaculture retail sector, while simultaneously supporting gender-responsive and inclusive development.