Africa

Ethiopia | Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Mozambique | Tanzania

Africa (regional)

The SDC Global Programme Food Security has started two new regional post-harvest programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa:

Programme FAO / IFAD / WFP:

The objective of the intervention is to improve food security and income generation opportunities through reduction of food losses in food grains and pulses value chains of smallholders.

The programme will set up a global Food Loss Reference Centre - a Community of Practice (CoP). The purpose of the CoP is to: (i) Share and learn from good practices, technologies, lessons learned and challenges in PHL reduction; (ii) Provide timely, quick and easy access to information and expertise about good practices and technologies in PHL reduction.; (iii) Enable feedback and assistance among peers; (iv) Build capacity and knowledge addressing PHL; (iv) Stimulate joint collaboration on projects; (v) Match donors with project suppliers; (vi) Stimulate PHL reduction leadership at grassroot level; (vii) Incubate innovation in PHL reduction chains.

Complementary country-level interventions focus on Burkina Faso, DRC and Uganda. The overall time frame of the programme is 2012 - 2021 and the budget CHF 4 million.

Overview of project context and aims
Project description by FAO
Community of Practice on Food Loss Reduction
Project Leaflet
News by FAO about a validation workshop of Burkina Faso food loss assessments report
News by FAO about the projects launching workshop in Burkina Faso
News by FAO about the launch of project activities in Uganda
 

Programme HSI / AFAAS / FANRPAN / Agridea:

The programme aims to increase food security of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa through reduced postharvest losses at farm and community level.

Expected outcomes of a first phase: (1) improved handling and storage options within the grains and pulses value chains are benefitting smallholder farmers in pilot countries; (2) good practice options for reducing postharvest losses are compiled, disseminated and scaled up; and (3) appropriate regulatory frameworks on reducing post-harvest losses in food supply chains are introduced and implemented at national and regional levels.

Complementary country-level interventions focus on Benin and Mozambique. The overall time frame of the programme is 2012 - 2021 and the budget CHF 4 million.

Overview of context and aims
Project information by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation (HSI)
Benin PHM Policy Brief by FANRPAN (April 2015)
Mozambique PHM Policy Brief by FANRPAN (September 2014)

Contact

Markus Bürli
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Freiburgstrasse 130, 3003 Bern, Switzerland
Phone.: +41 31 322 34 75
Fax: +41 31 324 16 91
E-mail: markus.buerli@eda.admin.ch
Web: http://www.sdc.admin.ch

 


Ethiopia  

The SDC Global Programme Food Security has started a new post-harvest programme in Ethiopia.

The overall goal of the programme is to contribute to food security through the reduction of crop post-harvest losses in Ethiopia. Awareness raising, capacity development, dissemination of improved practices and formulation of post-harvest management policy will be done to achieve this goal.

Outcomes of a first phase: (1) knowledge, attitude and practice of smallholder men and women farmers, development agents, youths and others on PHL have changed/improved; (2) human resource and institutional capacity on post-harvest management are strengthened; (3) good practice options for reducing postharvest losses are compiled, disseminated and scaled up and out to smallholder farmers of both sexes and (4) a post-harvest management policy and strategy has been formulated.

This programme will be implemented by FAO Ethiopia in partnership with the government of Ethiopia. The overall time frame of the programme is 2012 - 2021 and the budget CHF 8 million.

Overview of programme aims and context

Reducing Food Losses through Improved Post Harvest Management in Ethiopia
FAO Project Information
 

Contact

Markus Bürli
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Freiburgstrasse 130, 3003 Bern, Switzerland
Phone.: +41 31 322 34 75
Fax: +41 31 324 16 91
E-mail: markus.buerli@eda.admin.ch
Web: http://www.sdc.admin.ch/

 


Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe

 

In 2008 SDC started the post-harvest programme "Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihood of African Farmers". The first phase (2008-2011), implemented by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), introduced metal silo technology in Kenya and Malawi. In a second phase (2012-2016) the programme will be up-scaled and extended to Zambia and Zimbabwe. Alternative technologies to avoid post-harvest losses will also be used. 

Phase 1 (2008-2011)

The project successfully introduced the development and deployment of metal silo technology in Kenya (Embu and Homa Bay districts) and Malawi (Dowa and Mchinij districts), in collaboration with Catholic diocese of Embu and Homa Bay in Kenya and World Vision International in Malawi.

The project targeted training of farmers, trainers, and artisans in metal silo construction in order to provide farmers with better alternative storage solutions. In collaboration with SDC, training of trainers was performed through South-South Cooperation in 2009. The trainers came from El Salvador, travelled to pilot areas in Kenya and Malawi and trained trainers and artisans on how to fabricate and handle the metal silo.

A total of 4 trainers and 41 artisans were trained so far in Kenya and Malawi; and a total of 45 and 105 metal silos of various capacities were produced and distributed to farmers in Malawi and Kenya, respectively. Though the metal silo technology was primarily targeted for the benefit of smallholder farmers, schools and urban communities in the two countries are also using the metal silos. This helped them to buy grains at peak harvest time when prices are low, and to use it throughout the year. As a result, several countries and organizations in Africa have shown interest or engaged in metal silo production and dissemination. The metal silo was promoted through demonstrations and the media, which directly and indirectly created a critical mass among the stakeholders, including farmers, technicians, artisans, NGOs, ministries and consumers in general.
 

Phase 2 (2012-2016)

Phase 1 showed that metal silo technology is effective in combating losses but remains quite expensive for poor farmers. Policy changes and incentives would provide a conducive environment to increase adoption rates of the technology. In addition, cheaper technologies should be made available to poor farmers - women in particular - to extend by a few months the storage of their harvest.

The second phase of the programme will specifically focus on the major maize producing areas of Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia where insect pests have the greatest impact on maize production, food and income security, and livelihoods. About 16'000 smallholders will be targeted to benefit from metal silos and an additional 24'000 food insecure farmers, particularly women, will be targeted to benefit from post-harvest bags. But the main target will be the respective Ministries of Agriculture in the region so that they do take post-harvest losses into consideration.

Planned outcomes

Target farmers increase uptake of metal silo technology based on lessons learnt in Phase 1

Post-harvest policies in Southern Africa are conducive and harmonised in the long term

Alternative technologies for post-harvest losses are studied and introduced to poor farmers


The overall time frame of the programme is 2012 - 2020 and the budget CHF 15 million.

Key documents
Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe: April 2012 – March 2016 PDF, 98 KB
SDC, 2012 
Project Blog
by CIMMYT
Project Website
by CIMMYT

​​More Information...

Better Grain Storage, Better Futures for All (Video)
Mainstreaming Gender in Grain Post-harvest Management, SDC, 2014
EGSP Highlights PDF 649 KB
Effective Grain Storage for Sustainable Livelihoods of African Farmers Project (EGSP II), CIMMYT / SDC, August 2013
Can metal silo technology offer solution to grain storage and food security problem in developing countries? An Impact evaluation from Kenya PDF 697 KB
Zachary M. Gitonga, Hugo De Groote, Kassie Menale, Tadele Tefera(CIMMYT), 2012
Benefiting farmers: Metal Silos (Video)
CIMMYT, August 2011 (duration: 1:15)
Effective Grain Storage for Better Livelihoods of African Farmers Project: Completion Report June 2008 to February 2011 PDF, 989 KB
CIMMYT, May 2011
Effects of insect population density and storage time on grain damage and weight loss in maize due to the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais and the larger grain borer Prostephanus truncatus PDF, 106 KB
Tadele Tefera, Stephen Mugo, Paddy Likhayo in: African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 6(10), pp. 2249-2254, 18 May, 2011
The metal silo: An effective grain storage technology for reducing post-harvest insect and pathogen losses in maize while improving smallholder farmers’ food security in developing countries
Tadele Tefera et al. in: Crop Protection, Volume 30, Issue 3, March 2011, Pages 240–245
Economic Analysis of Alternative Maize Storage Technologies in Kenya PDF, 122 KB
Simon C. Kimenju / Hugo De Groote, CIMMYT, September 2010
Effective Grain Storage: Success stories 2010 PDF, 8026 KB
CIMMYT, 2010
Metal silo artisans trained in Malawi and Kenya
CIMMYT's Blog, 2 June 2009
Report on the Postharvest Workshop in Migori District, Kenya PDF, 1650 KB
Hans Sieber (SDC), November 1998

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Contact
Philippe Monteil
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Freiburgstrasse 130, 3003 Bern, Switzerland
Phone.: +41 31 322 34 75
Fax: +41 31 324 16 91
E-mail: philippe.monteil@eda.admin.ch
Web: http://www.sdc.admin.ch/
 


Mozambique

From November 2009 until October 2011 Helvetas has implemented the programme “Facility for the rapid response to the increases in food prices in developing countries”. Its objective has been to provide a fast response to the food insecurity of rural households by using local low-cost technologies for the multiplication and storage of seeds in the communities. The programme has centered on post-harvest measures, the local production of seeds and community seed banks.

Without access to quality seeds, subsistence farmers practicing rain-fed agriculture continue recycling grain that has been exhausted after generations of cultivation, producing poor yields. Additionally, these yields are subject to considerable storage losses. This situation causes 22 percent of rural households to run out of stocks and suffer from food shortages during the dry period. Due to climate change the duration of this 'hunger period' is likely to increase.

The post-harvest measures of the Helvetas programe resulted in the construction of improved household granaries as well as low-cost silos for the safe storage of food. Helvetas Mozambique proposed "zero-emission fridges" providing storage facilities for community-owned seed banks. These distribute quality seeds of improved crop varieties and serve as a social safety net for more than 10,000 rural households.

Gilberto Tehetere, a native farmer from the Cabo Delgado Province, invented the "Zero Emission Fridge for Rural Africa" (ZEFRA) by reconstructing a silo using only locally available low-cost materials and applying traditional construction techniques. The basic design of the ZEFRA is a weaved bamboo structure, meticulously covered with clay all-around. The shape is cylindrical and the two openings (for filling and emptying) are closed with tightly fitting clay-covered hatches. The "fridge" stands on a base that incorporates vermin traps to protect the 250 kg of grain from rates and mice. It is kept under a simple shelter to maintain it cool and dry.

Currently, post-harvest management interventions in Mozambique are taking place in the context of SDC's new regional programme.

More information
Construction of the Zero Emission Fridge for Rural Africa
Videos by Helvetas Mozambique
Fighting famine with simple storage facilities in Mozambique
Short project description by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation
Feasibility Study of Post Harvest Project in Mozambique and Tanzania PDF, 668 KB
Jonathan Coulter (NRI), Kurt Schneider (Helvetas), May 2004

 


Tanzania

SDC has started a new post-harvest project in Tanzania.

The ultimate objective of the project is to reduce post-harvest losses in food grains in the Central Corridor of Tanzania and to improve food security and incomes for targeted farming households as well as rural employment through appropriate technology, capacity building and informed policy.

Expected outcomes of the first phase: (1) Targeted 20’000 smallholder households have a better capacity to store grains; (2) metal silo market and alternative post-harvest technology markets are in place; (3) post-harvest policies and framework conditions in Tanzania are improved.

The project is implemented by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation in collaboration with a range of local subcontractors. The overall time frame of the programme is 2013 - 2021 and the budget CHF 10.8 million.

Overview of programme aims and context
Tanzania: Silos to Protect Farmers Against Post-Harvest Grain Losses
allAfrica, 14 September 2016

Contact
Philippe Monteil
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Freiburgstrasse 130, 3003 Bern, Switzerland
Phone.: +41 31 322 34 75
Fax: +41 31 324 16 91
E-mail: philippe.monteil@eda.admin.ch
Web: http://www.sdc.admin.ch/