Pot-in-pot cooler, food storage
Manufacturer: local potters
Nigeria, 1995
Earthenware, sand, water
Dimensions: 16” to 22” diameter
In use in: Cameroon, Tchad, Niger, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso
Designer: Mohammed Bah Abba
The Pot-in-Pot system consists of two pots, a smaller earthenware pot nestled within another pot, with the space in between filled with sand and water. When that water evaporates, it pulls heat from the interior of the smaller pot, in which vegetables and fruits can be kept. In rural Nigeria, many farmers lack transportation, water, and electricity, but one of their biggest problems is the inability to preserve their crops. With the Pot-in-Pot, tomatoes last for twenty-one days, rather than two or three days without this technology. Fresher produce can be sold at the market, generating more income for the farmers.
