Swuyievezo Dzudo was born and raised in Porba, a scenic but underdeveloped village in Phek District of Nagaland. After completing his post-graduation in Botany from St. Joseph University, Dimapur, he made a conscious decision not to seek a city-based job. Instead, he returned to his native village with a purpose: to improve the agricultural conditions of his community. Swuyievezo started farming on ancestral land and began engaging with local farmers to identify pressing challenges. He found that post-harvest losses were one of the biggest issues affecting both income and food security.
Identifying the Problem of Post-Harvest Wastage
During his interactions with fellow farmers, Swuyievezo realized that produce such as kiwi, turmeric, chillies, ginger, tomatoes, and bamboo shoots would often rot before they could be sold. Traditional sun-drying methods were unreliable due to sudden rain, dust, pest infestation, and uneven heating.
With no reliable electricity, using electric dryers was not an option either. As a result, farmers had no choice but to sell their fresh produce at very low prices to avoid complete loss. Swuyievezo believed that solving this one problem could significantly improve farmer incomes and livelihoods in the region.
A Home-Grown Solar Dryer for Off-Grid Communities
Motivated by the need for a sustainable and accessible drying solution, Swuyievezo began experimenting with a prototype of a solar dryer using only local and recycled materials. With technical support from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Phek and guidance from Kirat Biotech’s Manish Choudhury, he successfully designed a dryer using bamboo, wooden frames, transparent glass, UV-sheet, and reused aluminium beer cans that acted as solar heat collectors. The result was a fully off-grid, low-cost solar dryer suitable for remote villages without electricity.
This innovation ensured uniform heating, protection from dust and pests, and faster drying without the use of chemicals or fuels. The produce dried in these solar units had better colour, flavour, and shelf life, making them more attractive to both local and outside buyers.
Affordable, Scalable, and Farmer-Friendly
Swuyievezo’s basic solar dryer model costs around Rs. 7,000, while larger community units can be built for Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000. These dryers require minimal maintenance and can process 50 to 100 kilograms of produce in just 2 to 3 days, depending on the crop and weather. The design is easy to replicate, allowing even marginal farmers to benefit from the technology.
By mid-2025, over 25 dryers had been installed across five villages including Porba, Thuvopisu, Dzulhami, Runguzu, and Ciepoketa, positively impacting nearly 500 farmers. Some of the dryers were distributed free of cost through CSR projects and farmer-led initiatives, while others were built through community contributions.
Improving Livelihoods through Value Addition
With the introduction of solar dryers, farmers have been able to prevent post-harvest losses and add value to their crops by producing dried kiwi slices, turmeric powder, ginger chips, bamboo shoot flakes, and more. These dried products have longer shelf life and fetch higher prices in the market, improving farmer incomes by 30 to 40 percent.
Swuyievezo himself cultivates a variety of crops including kiwi, turmeric, tomatoes, and pulses. By using the dryer to process and brand his products for sale, he has built a successful farm-based enterprise. His current annual income ranges between Rs. 6 and 7 lakhs, a notable achievement in a region where average farm income remains much lower.
Building Trust and Encouraging Adoption
Initially, villagers were hesitant to adopt the new solar dryer technology. Many believed that only factory-made equipment or electric dryers could offer reliable results. Swuyievezo tackled this challenge by organizing demonstrations, conducting training sessions, and offering hands-on support to early adopters. As farmers started experiencing better-quality produce and improved market prices, word of mouth helped spread the innovation.
Today, his work is not limited to installation. He continues to educate youth and fellow farmers about low-cost innovations, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable post-harvest solutions.
Recognition and Future Plans
In 2025, Swuyievezo was awarded the prestigious IARI Innovative Farmer Award at the Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela in New Delhi. The recognition from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute highlighted his outstanding contribution to tribal and rural innovation. His work has also been supported by KVK Phek and Agri Biotech Foundation, Nagaland University.
Looking ahead, Swuyievezo hopes to scale his innovation further by setting up a decentralized rural enterprise model. He envisions the establishment of more solar-powered units, training hubs, and direct market linkages for dried agri-produce. He also wants to develop compact versions of the dryer for household use and explore solar-based polyhouse farming to extend the concept of off-grid agriculture.
Swuyievezo Dzudo’s journey is an inspiring example of how grassroots innovation, guided by scientific thinking and a commitment to community welfare, can solve real-world problems. He believes that one does not need a laboratory to innovate but rather the ability to observe, think, and act. His message to young people is simple: agriculture is not a backward profession, but one full of opportunities to lead, create, and serve.
Through his efforts, he has shown that a single idea, when rooted in local needs and executed with passion, can uplift entire communities and bring pride to rural livelihoods.
