University Of Brighton Student Wins Sustainability Award For Tackling Food Waste In Africa

A University of Brighton student has won a top sustainability award for developing an innovative food preservation system aimed at helping farming communities across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Final-year Product Design student Katlyn Ojera took first place in this year’s People & Planet competition with her project, Dehyclay.

The low-cost food dehydrator is designed to help smallholder farmers preserve fruit and vegetables using locally sourced natural materials and traditional building methods.

Katlyn’s idea was one of eight sustainable business ventures presented during the final of the university’s People & Planet Prize, which supports student-led ideas with positive social and environmental impact.

Dehyclay was created in response to major levels of food waste across Sub-Saharan Africa, where large amounts of produce can be lost after harvest due to a lack of affordable storage and preservation systems.

The device uses clay and passive airflow technology to dry food naturally without electricity, solar panels or expensive equipment.

Katlyn said the inspiration came during a placement year working with farming communities in The Gambia through Gambian Projects Overseas.

She said many farmers were being forced to sell produce quickly at low prices or lose it entirely because of limited preservation options.

Katlyn described Dehyclay as a “community-led solution” designed so local people can build, repair and maintain the system themselves.

Winning the competition secured £1,000 in funding to support the next stage of development.

She now plans to travel back to The Gambia in January 2027 to test full-scale prototypes with local farming communities and deliver workshops on food dehydration techniques.

Katlyn also credited the university’s placement opportunities and enterprise support for helping turn the idea into a practical real-world project.

Clare Griffiths, Business Development Manager for Student Enterprise at the University of Brighton, said the project demonstrated how students are combining creativity, sustainability and entrepreneurship to tackle global challenges.

Second place in the competition went to 3D Design and Craft student Edie Muir for a biodegradable alternative to plasticine, while third place was awarded to MA Sustainable Design student Sarah McBrearty for inclusive relationships and health education training.