Fixed kitchens do not help a community that moves with its herds. The Mobile solar kitchen was designed for camps and bases a vehicle can reach: a road trailer that tows behind a pickup, unfolds its solar panels and cooks for 120 people by midday. (For families who travel on foot with only their belongings, we make a hand-carried portable kit — see the guide linked below.)
Key facts
- Road-legal single-axle trailer with fold-out solar panels of about 5 kWp and a 10 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery.
- Two 20 L electric pressure cookers and one induction hob; optional 250 L solar freezer and water heating.
- Set-up in under an hour by two trained operators; cooks up to 120 meals a day.
- Built for pastoralist and nomadic communities, seasonal grazing camps, mobile clinics, schools that follow herding families, and emergency response.
Who it is for
- Pastoralist and nomadic communities in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and southern Africa that move with the season.
- Indigenous and remote communities in Latin America and the Caribbean served by a circuit rather than a fixed site.
- Mobile health and nutrition clinics that need hot meals, hot water and a cold box on the road.
- Emergency response after floods or displacement, where a kitchen must arrive the same day.
How a day works
The trailer arrives, panels unfold and face the sun, the battery tops up while the first pots go on. Breakfast or lunch cooks on daytime solar; the battery holds enough for an evening meal and lights. The unit is locked and left at the camp, or hitched and moved on.
Who funds it
Funders are usually humanitarian agencies, county or regional governments, and companies with pastoralist host communities. Quotes are turnkey — trailer, training, monitoring and three years of maintenance — and fixed after a short scoping call. For families who travel on foot rather than by vehicle, see the hand-carried portable kit.
Ask about the mobile solar kitchen for your communities.
Talk to Frontières BayFrequently asked
Can it cross rough tracks?
Yes. The trailer has off-road suspension and a ground clearance suited to graded tracks; it is not a bush-bashing vehicle, and we advise on routes.
Who operates it?
Two operators from the community are trained for two days; the operating guide is produced in the local language.