The dry chain, modeled after the cold chain, ensures that dried commodities reach safe moisture levels before storage, preventing postharvest losses. Horticulture Innovation Lab team with researchers at the University of California, Davis, have pioneered affordable drying technologies such as the DryCard™, chimney dryer, and pallet dryer, providing small-scale farmers with practical tools to enhance food preservation and reduce economic losses.

Erin McGuire, Director of UC Davis' Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture, has been selected to serve on a presidentially appointed USAID advisory subcommittee strengthening partnerships with Minority-Serving Institutions in global food security. "Through my experience leading the Horticulture Innovation Lab at UC Davis, I've seen firsthand how inclusive partnerships can amplify impact by integrating local expertise and fostering equitable development," said McGuire. The appointment to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) subcommittee highlights UC Davis' continued leadership in international agricultural innovation.

Collaborative locally led training initiative locally led by the Horticulture Innovation Lab Central America Regional Hub based at Zamorano University, brings together small-scale producers, private companies, and NGOs to address critical challenges in postharvest handling of fruits, vegetables, and grains across Central America.

To help producers in Uganda effectively preserve their dried products, the Horticulture Innovation Lab’s Lydiah Maranga conducted a dry chain, “train-the-trainer” workshop with seventeen attendees from different sectors including government, private sector, academia, and farmers. The dry chain is similar to the cold chain - drying products effectively, confirming they are safely dried, and safely storing them in water tight and air tight (hermetic) storage.

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture as it hosted its first Horticulture and Nutrition Systems Research Portfolio Workshop at the 2024 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF). This workshop aimed to unite experts from various agricultural fields to enhance research and practices related to horticulture and nutrition.

An initiative led by FORWARD Nepal is improving food preservation through a solar drying technology that speeds up drying and protects products from dust and insects. The locally-led project is not only helping farmers reduce postharvest losses, but also creating new economic opportunities for women and youth entrepreneurs across three districts, with promising results for crops like radish and bitter gourd.

Through a Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture Lab project, small-scale producers use floating covers, blending traditional knowledge with new tech to transform farming and combat climate change impacts.

Through her Trellis fellowship with the Horticulture Innovation Lab, Josephine Nyame advanced research on traditional West African vegetables to enhance regional nutrition and food security.

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) demonstrated its global leadership by convening distinguished international leaders for its inaugural Global Food Systems Research Day on October 24, 2024.