Traditional grain storage methods like using clay pots was the tried and tested way for centuries, but unfortunately it did not hold up against the current need and drive for food security. It had to make way for modern technologies that enable grain to last longer while maintaining its quality and nutritional value.

A rural family who has access to clean and quality maize all year round is a food secure family, and a farmer who can sell his surplus maize throughout the year can earn a steady income for his family. Unfortunately, weevils, humidity, air and water make this very difficult for them.

An international NGO, Technoserve, launched a huge operation in Zambia to address just that – the use of hermetic storage solutions which are air and humidity tight and water resistant, providing food security for every household.

“Technoserve is a nonprofit organisation with our headquarters in Washington. In Zambia, we established a consortium with Musika who provides the financing, and the World Food Programme that trains the farmers on these alternative grain storage methods,” Samantha Chikonka, Senior Business Advisor at Technoserve, says. “Most important is that through this project we shall offer business solutions to suppliers and farmers. This is the only way to alleviate poverty and to promote food security. Our main work is to support agriculture to create a profitable industry that eventually contributes to the GDP of the countries in which we are working. Technoserve’s products will make steady income generating business people out of farmers, and we aim to give them different options to achieve that,” Samantha says.

Commercialising post-harvest agriculture requires technology that tends to be expensive and totally out of reach of small-scale farmers. Technoserve changed that by identifying very simple and cost-effective alternatives. “The storage containers we promote are airtight and no oxygen can enter or leave the container. The result is that the farmer won’t have to put pesticides or chemicals with the grain, while the grain can be stored for a longer period,” she says. Any unwanted organisms will suffocate in less than a week.

Besides creating awareness, Technoserve’s job is also to identify and facilitate the purchase of these products. “We want the people to move away from the traditional ways of storage like clay pots, drums, bags or other makeshift structures. There are better options and we want to ensure that it reaches the farmer or rural family,” Samantha says.

“These storage methods are mostly promoted under subsistence and small and intermediate size farmers. The products available are grain bags, grain silos and grain cocoons. “We have identified manufacturers to work with us on this project. They are meant to improve the distribution of these products to make them more accessible to the farmers in the rural areas. Their job is also to encourage farmers not to sell their crops immediately, because they can attain better prices in the post-harvest season where there is less food. However, the success of such a policy depends on safe storage, and this is where Technoserve comes into play.”

Manufacturers inside and outside Zambia were identified. One of them is AgroZ in Lusaka, who manufactures recyclable grain bags. The bags consist of an outer woven, polypropylene, raffia sack and a plastic liner inside, which the farmer has to tie with a rope after filling. You don’t have to sow it. Every pest that accompanied the grain into the bag will suffocate within five to fourteen days. The plastic liner is water and air-tight, which guarantees the same moisture content after a year of storage. Grains like maize, dry beans, peas, rice, sorghum, millet, soya beans, wheat, cocoa, coffee and seeds will have a problem free lifetime inside one of these bags.

“We also have a local manufacturer, Polythene Products, who makes something similar,” she says. “The only difference is that they use two liners instead of one. You tie both of them to save your grain from infestations. These plastic liners consist of different layers with unique functions and are specifically designed for grain storage.”

Technoserve is also promoting tanks from Afritank. They build what looks like a normal plastic tank, but it has special seals around the lid to make the tank hermetic. No air can enter or leave once you seal it properly, and no added chemicals are needed to preserve the contents. The tanks are made of environmentally friendly, food contact grade polymers. They have a capacity of 3 300 litres and can hold 2 400 to 2 500 kg of maize. The benefit of using a grain tank is that you buy your container once, and enjoy a 30-year expected life span when used indoors.

GrainPro in Zimbabwe manufactures grain cocoons. It looks like a rectangular cubic tent with a hermetic zip. They have a much higher capacity than the other storage containers and are mostly used by grain merchants. These cocoons are available in many sizes and can have a capacity of up to 100 000 tonnes.

Technoserve has a footprint in 19 countries all over Africa, and with the help of their partners, they are able to spread the message of changing and adapting to improvements.

Contact Livestock Services or the other Agro storage dealers for more information, or contact Samantha Chikonka at schikonka@tns.org or +26(0)96-925-0355, or visit their website at www.technoserve.org.