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Abstract
Solar cabinet dryers appear suitable for use by small Caribbean farmers, many with farms less than 1 ha in size. Perishable products like sorrel, hot peppers, sweet potatoes and mango slices may be dried for safe storage. In a solar cabinet dryer of the multi-rack design, an overall drying efficiency of 25% can be expected. Crops can be dried in thin layers with loading densities of less than 5 kg/m2, in two days of fair weather. For the small farmers, with holdings ranging from 0.125 to 1 ha, and with 50% of their annual crop yield dried, dryers with cover areas ranging approximately from 3.8 m2 to 30.8 m2 respectively, will be adequate for a crop like sorrel. The minimum estimated cost of such dryers would correspondingly increase from US$75 to US$600.