Management of Community Ecotechnologies: Adoption and Viability of Solar Drying in the Sierra and Huasteca Regions of Hidalgo

This research addresses the design, construction, and functional validation of a solar food dehydrator based on the principle of natural convection, conceived as a low-cost technological solution for postharvest preservation in rural contexts with limited access to the electrical grid. The study is classified as applied, design-based, and experimental research, with a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative components, derived from a literature review and socioeconomic analysis of the environment with quantitative components, based on the measurement of variables such as operating temperature, drying time, and weight loss. The study area comprises the rural communities of the Sierra Alta and the Huasteca Hidalguense regions in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, areas where post-harvest losses exceed 40% of agricultural production (FAO, 2019) due to the lack of accessible technologies for preserving perishable foods. The methodology adopted is structured in eight sequential phases, based on the engineering design approach proposed by Pahl and Beitz (2007), and integrates documentary research, definition of functional and technical requirements, conceptual design with evaluation of alternatives using a weighted decision matrix, three-dimensional modeling in CAD software, selection of sustainable materials of recycled origin (PET, aluminum and pallet wood), simulation of thermal and fluid dynamic behavior using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with a k-epsilon turbulence model, and fabrication of a 1:2 scale prototype. The system was designed to operate in a thermal range of 50 to 65 °C using natural draft, without dependence on the electrical grid, which positions it as an autonomous and replicable food preservation alternative in low-resource communities.