Farmers’ Grain Storage and Losses in Ethiopia

Bachewe, Fantu Nisrane; Minten, Bart; Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum; Pauw, Karl; Cameron, Alethia; Endaylalu, Tirsit Genye

doi:10.1515/jafio-2019-0059

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Seeds and grains can be stored in a variety of structures under various storage conditions as food reserves, seeds for the next season, and to increase marketability [ 2 ]. Temperature, relative humidity, and seed moisture content are all important climatic factors for maintaining and preserving healthy seeds during storage [ 3 , 14 , 20 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Post-harvest management of agricultural commodities is a significant challenge in developing countries, including Ethiopia [ 1 ]. In Ethiopia, 49% of grain crops, including oilseeds, are stored in traditional storage methods [ 2 ]. Dried commodities stored in such porous woven bags can gain moisture from environments with high relative humidity, allowing for fungal infections and the accumulation of mycotoxins [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Storage Duration and Structures on Sesame Seed Germination, Mold Growth, and Mycotoxin Accumulation

Alemayehu

Abera

Ayimut

et al. 2023

Toxins

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Sesame is an important oil crop for the Ethiopian economy. However, the lack of adequate storage facilities results in significant losses of sesame seeds. This study was designed to compare the effects of storage conditions and the subsequent impact on sesame seed germination, mold growth, and mycotoxin accumulation over the storage period. The efficacy of two hermetic bags (1. Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags and 2. Super GrainPro (SGP) bags) was directly compared to sesame storage in polypropylene (PP bags) and Jute bags. Storage conditions (oxygen, carbon dioxide, temperature, moisture content and relative humidity) of samples were analyzed in the laboratory in three replicates. Results showed that the oxygen concentrations dropped to 6.9% (±0.02) in PICS bags and 8.7% (±0.06) in SGP bags at the end of 6 months of storage. In non-hermetic bags Jute and PP), oxygen levels were close to atmospheric levels at 2-, 4-, and 6-month storage periods. In non-hermetic bags throughout storage, the amount of seed infection by mold constantly increased, and seed germination decreased. Sesame seeds stored in hermetic bags had 89.7% (±0.58) to 88.3% (±2.89) germination rates versus 61.67% (±2.08) for non-hermetic storage bags over the 6-month seed storage period. All mycotoxin levels increased over the same storage period, whereas comparative levels were much lower in hermetic bags after six months. Sesame seeds stored in both hermetic bags had the lowest level of tested mycotoxins, and levels among the SGP and PICS bags were not significantly different from one another. This study provides strong evidence indicating that hermetic storage structures such as PICS and SGP significantly affect temperature, humidity, moisture content, CO2 and oxygen levels resulting in the lowering of fungal growth and mycotoxin accumulation and effectively preserving stored sesame without relying on synthetic pesticides in Ethiopia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Storage Duration and Structures on Sesame Seed Germination, Mold Growth, and Mycotoxin Accumulation

Alemayehu

Abera

Ayimut

et al. 2023

Toxins

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“…Similarly, it was revealed that farmers in the different parts of Ethiopia has been using different traditional storage facilities (indoor or outdoor; gotera, gotta, keffo, barrels, and underground pits among others) to store their grain in different forms (Tadesse, 2008;Mohammed and Tadesse, 2018). Bachewe et al (2019) and Dubale (2014) also reported as different type of traditional storage structures were used to store different types of grains in various parts of Ethiopia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmers‘ Pest Management Practices of Stored Faba Bean and their Implication to Food Security in Farta District, North West Ethiopia

Endshaw

Hiruy

2021

Turkish JAF Sci.Tech.

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Faba bean is the most important legume grown in Ethiopia. But, insect pests have been causing its substantial loss under farmers’ storages. A survey to assess the farmers’ pest protection practices of stored faba bean was conducted in its selected major growing peasant associations of the Farta District from 4 January 2019 – 15 May 2020. Semi-structured questionnaires and farmers’ participatory discussion were used to conduct the study. Accordingly, the majority of farmers (66.7%) harvested their grain in usual time (in December) fearing insect pests infestation. A substantial proportion of the farmers (25%) used a combination of cultural and botanical methods, followed by botanicals (20.83%) for grains protection. Eucalyptus globlus, Croton macrostachyus and Otostegia tomentosa were the three most commonly used botanicals and suggested to be potent. Threshing was done most commonly by livestock (66.7%), followed by beating with sticks (25%) both of which are not recommended as they might lead to grain losses. The insect infestation level was high in threshed and un-threshed forms of faba beans after 3 and 7 months storage periods, respectively. Consequently, the farmers’ traditional practices were ineffectual for storing beans for longer periods. Therefore, planning pest management strategies of stored beans are desirable.

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“…In rural areas, these "Chinese characteristics" are reflected in the entrepreneurial skills of Chinese farmer entrepreneurs, who can "collect" and use the huge and fragmented value of storage losses and fulfill their cash needs. Second, the government's support for the grain bank is crucial, especially during the financial crisis [47,48]. In the current system, one of the main responsibilities of the grain bank is to promote food security, so the sustainability of grain bank's operations depends on government support.…”

Section: Macro Conditions For Establishing a Grain Bankmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking the Role of Grain Banks in China’s Agriculture

Zhou

Razzaq

et al. 2021

Agriculture

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Grain banks are an organizational innovation and unique phenomenon in China that help reduce food losses and food security costs. It collects scattered food from the farming community into centralized storage and circulates it, thereby realizing asset mobilization and appreciation. This article first elaborates on the definition, function, and evolution of China’s grain banks through a literature review. Then, we used survey data of face-to-face interviews and field visits to a grain bank company in Hubei Province to analyze the economic rationale of grain bank development, including micro and macro conditions of grain bank development and its operating mechanisms. In addition, from the perspective of key stakeholders such as farmers, grain bank companies, and the government, we also studied the challenges of grain banks. We found that, in addition to providing many economic and social benefits in the form of food security and improved farmer income, grain banks still face many challenges in the new era. These include the ambiguity of property rights, lack of institutional structure, low efficiency of state-owned grain banks, and exploitation of loopholes by grain dealers. We propose to implement the supply-side reforms, clarify property rights, improve the supervision and management of grain banks, promote the privatization of grain banks, and take advantage of rural finance to realize the industrialization of the whole sector.

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Farmers’ Grain Storage and Losses in Ethiopia

Cited by 15 publications

References 31 publications

Effects of Storage Duration and Structures on Sesame Seed Germination, Mold Growth, and Mycotoxin Accumulation

Effects of Storage Duration and Structures on Sesame Seed Germination, Mold Growth, and Mycotoxin Accumulation

Farmers‘ Pest Management Practices of Stored Faba Bean and their Implication to Food Security in Farta District, North West Ethiopia

Rethinking the Role of Grain Banks in China’s Agriculture

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