Context

Kyperounda is a mountain village in Cyprus, known for its rich tradition of apple cultivation. In recent years, however, apple producers in the area have faced serious challenges. Due to increasingly severe weather events, such as hailstorms intensified by climate change, a large proportion of apples end up with a lot of imperfections. While still perfectly edible and nutritious, these second-rate apples are rejected by supermarkets and sold at extremely low prices for vinegar or juice, often for as little as EUR 1 per crate. As a result, nearly 200 tons of apples go to waste every year, leaving farmers frustrated and financially strained.

This situation affects not only the local economy but also the long-term sustainability of rural life in Kyperounda. Young people are leaving the area in search of better opportunities, and agricultural activity is becoming harder to sustain. Local producers needed an innovative, viable way to add value to their crops, minimise waste and generate new income.

The development of a pilot plant for the solar drying of apples emerged from this need. The Operational Group envisioned a solar-powered drying unit to transform surplus apples into a healthy snack with high market potential. The project aimed to create economic resilience, support green energy use and reconnect the community, particularly young people and schools, with local produce and innovation. It is a story of turning crisis into opportunity through sustainability and collaboration.

Objectives

The project had a number of aims, the main one being to reduce food waste by utilising poorer-quality apples that would otherwise be discarded. This would increase local farmers’ income by creating a high-value product from low-market-value produce, and generate new jobs in a rural, economically vulnerable area. This, in turn, would enhance rural sustainability and support population retention in a mountainous area.

Another objective was to strengthen the community identity of Kyperounda as ‘the apple village’, while empowering the local female population via career opportunities, as well as safeguarding the cultural heritage of solar dehydration.

Furthermore, the project aimed to promote healthy eating through the production of nutritious, locally made snacks and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using renewable solar energy instead of fossil fuels.

Activities

Inspired by a herb dehydrator at the Agricultural Research Institute, the Troodos Network identified the potential to apply similar technology to surplus apples in Kyperounda. An EIP-AGRI Operational Group was formed by Troodos Network as the coordinator, with the University of Cyprus as the scientific partner, the local cooperative (SEDIGEP), and an apple farmer.

The next stage involved testing at the University of Cyprus, with small-scale dehydration trials conducted to identify optimal drying conditions (in terms of temperature, thickness and taste). Once these had been established, the group set about designing and constructing a pilot solar drying unit. An environmentally friendly industrial-type dryer powered by solar energy was constructed and set up in Kyperounda, at the premises of the cooperative, which had a lot of unused spaces. Training the end users came next.

Another unused space at the premises of the apple farmers became a platform for environmental education about solar drying, from traditional methods to more modern ones, and about the nutritional value and uses of apple chips. This educational centre can accommodate up to 30 students and is fully equipped for presentations and workshops.

The group then designed and constructed a shop within the premises, with the ultimate aim of selling not only the apple chips produced there, but also all other apple products made by the local people involved. Before any sales, however, there of course needed to be a pilot production phase with quality testing. Lower-quality apples were processed into dried chips, with adjustments made for texture, colour and flavour (such as adding cinnamon).

Once this was completed, a public launch was planned and local promotion prepared. The unit was inaugurated with community and governmental participation, while products were handed out at the regional Apple Festival, receiving an enthusiastic public response.

To increase product awareness, workshops and tastings were then held in local schools, educational material was created with the assistance of a nutritionist who lives in the area, and samplings were arranged at health stores nationwide. Two films were created with the participation of teachers, schools and nutritionists as educational and promotional material. Press releases, banners and outreach through local and national media raised awareness and built support for long-term impact.

Finally, the project was presented at the EU CAP Network Conference in Estoril, Portugal, through a booth, tastings, and cross-border cooperation workshops.

Gender equality

The project was founded and coordinated by a woman, while the apple unit is managed by a young woman. A female nutritionist was engaged in the creation of nutritional material, benefiting 500 female teachers and students. 20 female students were trained in how to make home-made energy bars with apple chips by the nutritionist.

Research regarding traditional fruit solar-drying by women encouraged 50 women to start apple chip production. Five female nursery schoolteachers participated actively in the educational and tasting part of the project, while another five women running SMEs have expanded their product range through training.

100 ladies from the local community have been trained, including five health store employees.

Generational Renewal

Young people were engaged in multiple stages of the project, both directly and indirectly, creating valuable pathways into sustainable agriculture and rural entrepreneurship. The project helped reshape agriculture as an innovative and viable career choice.

A young apple farmer was a core member of the project partnership, involved in planning, piloting and showcasing the product. There are also opportunities for youth employment in the processing unit.

On an education level, collaboration with the University of Cyprus allowed students and young researchers to participate in trials and technological development. School workshops, meanwhile, introduced sustainability, healthy eating and green energy concepts to students, inspiring future generations from an early age. Educational activities included skills development in solar drying and preparing home-made energy bars with dried apples, as well as studying nutritional benefits.

Main Results

At least ten local jobs have been created across processing, packaging, marketing and educational activities, while 15 local producers and nutritionists engaged in the co-development and promotion of the product. Eight schools are also currently involved in educational workshops, directly reaching hundreds of students in the Troodos area.

The project invested in local human capital, e.g. creating training and capacity building material for different target groups in the village. It offered opportunities for socio-economic empowerment, especially for local women, and overall has strengthened the community identity of Kyperounda as the ‘apple village’'.

Over 200 tons of lower-quality apples have potentially been diverted from waste each year and transformed into marketable products. The market price for premium dried apple chips is as high as EUR 50/kg, compared to less than EUR 1/crate for unprocessed apples. The 100% solar-powered drying has also significantly reduced reliance on fossil fuels, lowering carbon emissions in the food processing chain.

Multiple local sales points have been established, including the pilot unit’s shop, local food outlets and festivals, including the Cyprus Apple Festival, where thousands of attendees tried the chips. An apple shop within the group premises was created to promote all the apple products of the area.

An educational centre was established in the unused space of the cooperative’s warehouse, and the group even had an international presentation at the EU CAP Network Conference in Portugal, reaching a European audience. Furthermore, two films have been created as education and dissemination  tools.

Key lessons

The project illustrates how important it is to have good networking. It benefited from cross-sectoral and multi-level collaborations. The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment helped oversee the project and support it through Rural Development Programme funding, while the Community Council of Kyperounda also provided support, space and local advocacy for the project’s sustainability.

Having local schools and educators on board was crucial, as they drove the educational and awareness-raising activities. Nutritionists also contributed to the creation of training material, promotion and integration of apple chips into healthy diets, and offered workshops for schoolchildren on how to make their own energy bars, using apple chips and other nutritional ingredients. Having buy-in from them is critical to any project of this nature in terms of its nutritional credibility.