Tanzanian farmers explained that sack storage is becoming increasingly popular, as sacks are more portable in case of emergencies (e.g., fl oods, fi res). They are always ready for marketing in case of need for emergency or opportunistic sales, and they take up less space in the house (their bulk reduces proportionately, as opposed to a large woven granary that fi lls a whole room, whether empty or full). Skills for constructing the traditional woven and mud-plastered granaries are being lost. When grain is in sacks, it is easier to monitor quality, and sacks can be hidden more securely during times of food insecurity, as they are typically kept in the bedroom. Source: Authors.
In Malawi, the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) manages the national strategic grain reserve, which handles maize and retains stock levels (currently 120,000 tons) as dictated by government. NFRA experiences very little loss (estimated 0.5 percent from cleaning of maize) due to its procurement procedure. From 2003, quality specifi cations were enforced for incoming maize. All incoming grain is fumigated and refumigated after 3–4 months in stock. NFRA has drying facilities but prefers that farmers do the drying so as not to incur extra costs. It buys from traders and farmers groups but not from individuals. NFRA offers a number of services to farmers and the private sector including subsidized fumigation services, rental of warehouses, and hire of the weighbridge. (Bennett 2010).
In Malawi, metal silos of 250-kg, 500-kg, 900-kg, and 1.9-ton capacities were made available, but the largest capacity supplied wouldn’t fi t inside most houses, and costs were considered high (US$120–450). Farmers were given very little training in use and were reliant on extension services to fumigate grain. Consequently, many of the silos that were supplied free of charge were not used. The main reasons for this would appear to be (i) security issues—farmers want grain to be inside their house; (ii) the need for fumigation treatments to be done by the extension services; and (iii) the silos were targeted at the community, not the individual. The farmers’ main approach to storage was to have bags in their houses, which they consider cheaper, more convenient, and more secure.
Poor storage hygiene can lead to the perpetuation of storage problems from one season to the next. The principles of store hygiene are essential to good pest management, and smallholders across SSA would make signifi cant progress in limiting PHL by observing these practices. If stores are suffi ciently sealed to prevent pest access, prior treatment of grain by solarization will disinfest grain and so prevent pest development. In stores that do not prevent pest access and where grain stocks are to be retained for more than three months, a means of pest control is required. This may be achieved by admixing synthetic insecticide or by the use of nontoxic alternatives such as diatomaceous earths, as these are available for use in the countries. In some situations, it may also prove appropriate to use insecticidal material derived from locally available plants. Source: Authors