Mango production plays a vital role in rural livelihoods in Mozambique, yet post-harvest losses remain high, ranging from 25% to over 50%, due to inadequate preservation methods. Improved solar drying technologies offer a sustainable solution by extending shelf life and enhancing product quality. However, their adoption among smallholder mango farmers remains limited. This study investigates the key barriers and drivers influencing the uptake of these technologies in three districts of Inhambane Province, through a combination of literature review and semi-structured interviews. Major barriers include limited technical knowledge, high upfront costs, poor market access, and limited institutional support. Field data show that over 80% of farmers are unaware of improved fruit drying techniques, and fewer than 5% have received any training. While the literature emphasizes environmental sustainability and policy support, field interviews highlight a stronger interest in practical enablers, such as affordable systems, hands-on training, and income-generating potential. The study calls for a multisectoral approach, involving financial support, capacity-building, and strengthened extension services to promote adoption. Scaling solar drying technologies can significantly reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen the mango value chain, contributing to food security and rural development in Mozambique.

Four solar dryers were tested for dehydrating mango slices. The design of the dryers included setups allowing direct exposure of the fruit to the sun, with fans (DF) or without fans (DnoF), as well as setups that provided shade to the fruits, with fans (IF) and without fans (InoF). Mango slices dried in the open sun (OS) were used as a control. Parameters measured included air temperature, humidity, fruit weight loss, and dried mango analysis for water content, water activity, and microbial count. The setups DF and IF dried the mango slices approximately 40 hours faster than OS, while DnoF took approximately 74 hours and did not dry the mango to the microbial-safety zone of 0.6 of water activity. Microbiological analysis (Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, mould, and yeast) showed no significant differences except for total aerobic plate count, which, despite the difference, its values remained under the safe consumption limit of 4 CFU/g. The economic evaluation suggests a potential revenue of 980 USD for smallholder farmers in Mozambique using DF and IF setups from the first year. This study advocates for solar dryers to reduce post-harvest losses and increase income in rural Mozambique.

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains a severe health issue in sub-Saharan Africa, causing blindness, illness, and child mortality. In Mozambique, about 69% of children under five are affected, highlighting the short-term impact and donor dependence of supplementation programs. Mangoes (Mangifera indica L.), rich in provitamin A carotenoids, offer a sustainable, food-based strategy to reduce VAD, but their high perishability and postharvest losses of 20–40% limit their impact. This review combined analysis of 21 studies on solar drying of mangoes in Africa with interviews from health directors in three districts of Inhambane Province, Mozambique, to assess both technical and practical aspects of mango utilization. Findings show that improved solar dryers reduce drying time by up to 40 h compared with open-sun drying, achieve safe moisture content below 12%, and retain 60–90% of β-carotene—significantly higher than the 40–55% typical of open-sun methods. One hundred grams of solar-dried mango can meet 60–100% of a child’s or 50–70% of a woman’s daily vitamin A needs. Despite these advantages, interviews revealed limited community adoption and persistent dependence on supplementation. To bridge this gap, initiatives must enhance training, access to affordable dryers, and policy integration to turn seasonal mango surpluses into sustainable, year-round nutrition solutions.

Vacuum impregnation (Ⅵ) is a versatile processing technique that enhances the nutritional and functional properties of fruits and vegetables by infusing bioactive compounds into their porous structures. This study demonstrates the utility of Ⅵ for fortifying fresh mango with β-carotene, a critical nutrient for addressing vitamin A deficiency, and for mitigating nutrient loss during solar drying. Fresh mango slices were impregnated with β-carotene emulsions prepared using homogenization at two different pressures and were then dried under controlled solar simulation conditions. Ⅵ increased β-carotene content in mango tissue from an average of 10.5 ± 2.3 ppm (control) to 20.4 ± 1.1 ppm or 24.0 ± 6.6 ppm depending on homogenization pressure, demonstrating effective nutrient incorporation. The emulsion's particle size distribution had no measurable impact on impregnation efficiency (p < 0.05), as the particle size was compatible with the mango's porous microstructure. Despite significant β-carotene degradation due to solar drying (p < 0.05), the β-carotene levels in the impregnated dried mangoes (9.4 ± 3.9 ppm and 12.6 ± 4.3 ppm) remained close to those in untreated fresh mangoes. This result highlights Ⅵ's potential to produce dried mango products that retain essential nutrients even under challenging drying conditions. In regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where vitamin A deficiency affects millions and post-harvest mango losses are as high as 40%, this approach offers a dual solution: improving nutritional outcomes and reducing food waste. The study also positions Ⅵ as a cost-effective, scalable technology for developing countries, with implications for reducing malnutrition, supporting economic livelihoods, and enhancing the utilization of abundant local fruit resources. Future research will focus on in-situ trials with freshly harvested mangoes and optimization of solar drying methods to further validate this strategy and enhance its scalability.