overview and achievements on reduction of postharvest losses

Overview and achievements on reduction of postharvest losses

Annual Progress Review and Work Planning MeetingTuesday 16th February 2016

Ibadan

Postharvest (small but important) part of the Seed Systems component of YIIFSWA

Main project partners

• NRI (UK)– Debbie Rees, Louise Abayomi (based in Lagos), John Orchard

• CSIR-CRI (Ghana)– Emmanuel Otoo, Evelyn Adu-Kwarteng, Shadrack Amponsah, Hillary

Mireku Bortey• NRCRI (Nigeria)

– Hussein Etudaiye, Emmanuel Nwachukwu, (John Ikeorgu), Mrs Omodamiro, Ms Chukwuma

• UNN (Nigeria)– Peter Uvere

• FUNAAB (Nigeria)– Lateef Sanni, Celestina Omohimi

YIIFSWA postharvest objectives1. Reduce on-farm tuber storage losses

of existing varieties for tubers used for seed yam, home consumption, and marketing.

2. Develop and promote technologies to reduce tuber losses during marketing.

3. Improve post-harvest characteristics through germplasm assessment and selection.

4. Improving farm/small-scale processing.

YIIFSWA postharvest objectives1. Reduce on-farm tuber storage losses


2. Develop and promote technologies to reduce tuber losses during marketing.

3. Improve post-harvest characteristics through germplasm assessment and selection.

4. Improving farm/small-scale processing.

Work on packaging during transport (CSIR-CRI) was stopped following the project review to allow us to concentrate on other activities.

YIIFSWA postharvest objectives• Reduce on-farm tuber storage losses


• Improve post-harvest characteristics through germplasm assessment and selection.

• Improving farm/small-scale processing. Improve quality and safety

of processed yam products (Nigeria)PhD programme Celestina Omohimi (FUNAAB)To be presented this pm



• Improve postharvest characteristics through germplasm assessment and selection.

• Improving farm/small-scale processing.

Quantification of characteristics that affect keeping quality •Susceptibility to damage•Length of dormancy•Efficiency of wound-healing(CSIR-CRI, NRCRI)





Improve tuber sprout controlPhD programme Hussein Etudaiye (NRCRI)To be presented this pm





Design and test affordable improved yam barnsCSIR-CRINRCRI






compare characteristics of traditional and improved store designs






Refine strategies to improve curing (wound-healing) of tubers at the start of storageCSIR-CRINRCRI

Evaluate characteristics of existing store designs

Design, Construction and Evaluation of Improved affordable Yam Storage

Barns

S. K. Amponsah, D. Rees, L. Abayomi , J. O. Akowuah, and H. M. Bortey

Presentation at the YIIFSWA Review Meeting, 2016

IITA - Ibadan

Appropriate yam storage has since been a long standing problem in the yam production value chain.

Traditional storage systems are inefficient with associated high tuber rot, insect infestation, rodent attack and high sprout rate.

Existing improved storage systems are unaffordable with associated high cost of construction.

Yam farmers are therefore left at the mercy of middlemen/women.

The design and promotion of improved low cost storage facilities would be a great relief to yam farmers.

Yam storage situation

How was this possible?

1.Use of locally available construction materials2.Employing local expertise in construction

What was the strategy?

1.Ensure farmer participation in barn construction and evaluation

Construction materials

Barn construction procedure

How it all started

2015

2011

6 ft (width) 8 ft (length) 6 ft (height)500 tubers (capacity)20

14

10 ft (width) 12 ft (length) 6 ft (height)5000 tubers (capacity)

10 ft (width) 22 ft (length) 6 ft (height)10000 tubers (capacity)

Major design features of the improved barn:o Good ventilation due to presence of side openingso Ability to keep a more cooler environment withino Water proof using well installed fresh thatch material o Rodent protection using rat guards and raised platformo Access for sprout control with the presence of shelveso Low cost due to the use of locally available materials

and local expertise

Design features

Four (4) study locations (2 each in Atebubu-Amantin and Kintampo-North); Abour, Nyomoase, Techira No.2 and Cheranda communities.

Pre-construction survey in selected communities.

Improved storage structure was evaluated along side traditional (local) structure across the four locations.

Pona, Dente and Afebetua (farmer’s variety) were stored for a period of 120 days.

Monthly data collected; weight loss (%), insect infestation (%), tuber rot (%), sprout rate, no. of sprouted tubers.

Yam storage evaluation

Pre-storage and storage environment

Storage evaluation

Results and DiscussionStorage conditions (Temperature and RH%)

Storage temperature: 26-28oC (both IB and TB)Outside temperature: 27-28oC Storage Relative Humidity: 42-45% (IB); 44-46% (TB) Outside Relative Humidity: 40-44%

Results and DiscussionThe improved storage barns could better reduce tuber losses in terms of weight loss and rotting across study locations and yam variety.

Economic AnalysisCost benefit analysis for Traditional and Improved barns

Traditional ImprovedConstruction cost($) 200 800Tuber weight loss (%) 35.5 29.7No. sprouted tubers 756 659No. sprouts 1446 960% insect infestation 21 19Mean losses through rotting- month on month 17.3 11.7% average reduction in losses (all variables) - 30%Value of tubers at storage:

Pona ($1), Dente (₵0.9), Afebetua/Serwaa ($0.85) $5000 $5000Value of tubers at 4 months storage:

Pona ($1.2), Dente (₵1), Afebetua/Serwaa ($0.9) 26% 26%Benefit (after 4 months storage from remaining tubers) $783

Max capacity of barn (tubers) ~5000 ~10000Construction materialsAnnual maintenance >20% <10%

Life span (years) 4 10

Follow up visit

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!

STRENGTHENING FRESH YAM

STORAGE SYSTEMS

1CSIR-crops Research Institute, Ghana2Natural Resources Institute, U.K.

Evelyn Adu-Kwarteng1

Hillary M. Bortey1

Shadrack K. Amponsah1

Deborah Rees2

Louise Abayomi2

• Curing is a practice that is known to help prolong storage life of root and tuber crops

• It speeds up natural wound healing processes (protection from microbial invasion, rapid weight loss, etc.)

• Curing is more efficient with the right balance of temperature (25-35C) and humidity (90-95%), for a specific number of days per crop

• In advanced economies, standard curing facilities are routinely used to cure after harvest, before storage (e.g. for potatoes, sweetpotatoes)

PRE-STORAGE CURING

• Developing strategies for curing yams adequately without electricity, inside storage barns

• Reduce – Drudgery of moving

tubers from field to curing facility to final storage point

– Associated costs

‘In-barn’ curing

Previous results (on-station)

Effects of curing on weight loss (%) in four (4) varieties of fresh yams during 120 days storage in CRI improved barn

Varieties:

1. Pona

2. Dente

Refining curing strategies for application on-farm

Treatments:

1.Polysheet

2.Polysheet, wood ash

3.Polysheet/Newsprint

4.Polysheet/newsprint, wood ash

5.No covering, wood ash

6.No covering, no wood ash

BARN CURING – GOING FORWARD

• The successful extension of the ‘barn curing’ technology will be dependent on farmers embracing the use of improved storage structures

TRADITIONAL BARNS

Farmers’ willingness to adopt improved storage structures is influenced by

Feedback from Farmers

THE APPROACHHelp farmers achieve improvements in their own storage environment

Improved storage structures: Presenting more options to farmers

KEY ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER Efficiency of the structure

(internal temperature & humidity, ventilation, tuber arrangement, protection from pests, etc.)

Cost involved (type and source of materials, labour)

Skill level required

In progress

• One (1) demonstration improved indigenous barn at the MOFA Office, Atebubu

• 3 Lead farmers storing 2 varieties in improved structures• 3 other selected farmers storing 2 varieties in their

unimproved traditional structures

Weight loss monitoring for 4 monthsRots assessment at the end of storage

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

overview and achievements on reduction of postharvest losses

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