Posted on April 5, 2018 Categories: Comments are off for this post
In Sierra Leone, post-harvest losses pose a serious challenge to smallholders and cause food insecurity and reduced income. This is why Cordaid and CRS promoted the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) Bag in Kailahun district in 2015.
Farmer’s buying PICS bags after training.
Mumo in Makueni training on PICS bags
Key features of PICS bags.
Training in Machakos
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Purdue University’s Department of Entomology has worked with farmers to develop a multilayer plastic crop storage bag called PICS (Purdue Improved Crops Storage) bags. The project, which started its third phase in 2014, provides crop storage bags that are produced locally, are affordable for small farmers, are easy to use, and bolster farmers’ incomes while safeguarding food stores for consumption in emergencies.
This method of triple bagging creates an airtight environment, and seals any insects present in the crop inside the bag. These insects briefly continue to consume oxygen, but as oxygen levels in the bags drop, and CO2 concentrations rise,[4] the insects stop feeding and quickly die, thereby protecting the crop from further damage.[9] Recent studies have shown that bruchids sealed in PICS bags do not die from asphyxiation, but rather from thirst. This subfamily of Chrysomelidae has the ability to produce water through their own metabolism.[9] This process requires oxygen, so when oxygen levels in PICS bags decrease the bruchids lose the ability to produce water and die of dehydration.[9] It is reasonable to assume that this same adaptation exists in other postharvest insects.
A USAID program that develops public private partnerships to commercialize agricultural technologies for smallholder farmers, funded Purdue University to commercialize its Purdue Improved Crop Storage bag (PICS).
First, PICS bags keep insects out. After farmers fill the bags with harvested grains, the bags are tied so tightly that an airtight, or hermetic, seal forms. Without new oxygen flow through the bag, the insects inside the bag die and the physical barrier prevents new insects from entering.
Under the aegis of Partnering for Innovation’s market-entry grant, Purdue University introduced its PICS bag to the Kenyan market in partnership with local distributor Bell Industry Ltd. The program recently celebrated a successful milestone in holding 800 bag-opening ceremonies in local villages and markets that demonstrated the bags’ effectiveness. The open bag ceremonies serve as both a public training and marketing opportunity.
A demonstration of the PICS bag is presented to a women's group in Kenya in March 2014. (Purdue International Programs in Agriculture photo/Dieudonn Baributsa)
The USAID-funded Kenya Agriculture Value Chain Enterprises (KAVES) project is partnering with private sector companies like Bell Industries to address the lack of storage options available to smallholder farmers and cut losses due to poor postharvest handling. At the same time, by engaging the private sector to serve smallholder needs, KAVES is linking companies with potential new markets for their goods and services.
Dr. Larry Murdock, the Purdue entomology professor who led the team that developed PICS, traveled to western Burkina Faso in April to attend an “Open the Bag” ceremony. Hundreds of farmers from the town of Soumoussa gathered with local and regional leaders to watch as 80 PICS bags stuffed with various grains were opened after six months in the stockroom. “The grain was as well preserved as it was when it was put into storage,” Murdock said. “There was much excitement and interest in this low cost, simple hermetic technology that avoids the use of chemicals.”
“PICS project reaches about ten million people in Niger. It is a great example of collaboration and success, as several factors reinforce its importance for households’ food security,” says Dr. Hannibal Muhtar, World Vision’s Africa Livelihoods Security Team Leader.
P4P-supported farmers’ organizations are equipped with triple bags (PICS) specifically designed to extend cowpea shelf life. The benefits of these bags, combined with proper storage techniques, have been clear to many farmers’ organizations, allowing them to aggregate and sell larger quantities when prices are high.
Under the aegis of Partnering for Innovation’s market-entry grant, Purdue University introduced its PICS bag to the Kenyan market in partnership with local distributor Bell Industry Ltd. The program recently celebrated a successful milestone in holding 800 bag-opening ceremonies in local villages and markets that demonstrated the bags’ effectiveness. The open bag ceremonies serve as both a public training and marketing opportunity.
PICS bags have been proven effective to reduce damage caused by storage pests in cowpea, and are now being promoted in several countries in West and Central Africa as an effective nonchemical and economical hermetic storage system.
In 2007, researchers at Purdue University teamed up with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to introduce African farmers to a simple solution: an inexpensive, triple-layer bag that protects cowpeas from losses during storage. Purdue University researchers discovered that cowpeas stored in airtight containers prevent the development of weevil larvae that feed on the dried cowpeas, preserving the crop for months—even more than a year. The Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) bag is made from two inner high-density polyethylene plastic bags and an outer nylon sack.
PICS training participants and extension agents demonstrating how to check the PICS inner bags for holes and tears before usage during the PICS training in Kano State. Do not use a bag that has holes or tears.
Farmers check on cowpea seeds stored in Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) bag for the period of six (6) months, free of pest infestation.
The bags are made of two layers of polythene material surrounded by another third layer of woven nylon, a combination that makes them airtight, making it impossible for pests to survive inside.
Kenyan farmers are estimated to lose between 30 and 40 per cent of their harvest to pets and other post-harvest rodents every year.
Like metal drum silos used for grain storage, the PICS bag is sealed tightly and pests in the grains cannot survive for long as they are deprived of oxygen. This presents an opporunity for farmers to prevent post harvest losses, particularly of grains.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Purdue University’s Department of Entomology has worked with farmers to develop a multilayer plastic crop storage bag called PICS (Purdue Improved Crops Storage) bags. The project, which started its third phase in 2014, provides crop storage bags that are produced locally, are affordable for small farmers, are easy to use, and bolster farmers’ incomes while safeguarding food stores for consumption in emergencies.
In Sierra Leone, post-harvest losses pose a serious challenge to smallholders and cause food insecurity and reduced income. This is why Cordaid and CRS promoted the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) Bag in Kailahun district in 2015.
Farmer’s buying PICS bags after training.
Mumo in Makueni training on PICS bags
Key features of PICS bags.
Training in Machakos
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Purdue University’s Department of Entomology has worked with farmers to develop a multilayer plastic crop storage bag called PICS (Purdue Improved Crops Storage) bags. The project, which started its third phase in 2014, provides crop storage bags that are produced locally, are affordable for small farmers, are easy to use, and bolster farmers’ incomes while safeguarding food stores for consumption in emergencies.
This method of triple bagging creates an airtight environment, and seals any insects present in the crop inside the bag. These insects briefly continue to consume oxygen, but as oxygen levels in the bags drop, and CO2 concentrations rise,[4] the insects stop feeding and quickly die, thereby protecting the crop from further damage.[9] Recent studies have shown that bruchids sealed in PICS bags do not die from asphyxiation, but rather from thirst. This subfamily of Chrysomelidae has the ability to produce water through their own metabolism.[9] This process requires oxygen, so when oxygen levels in PICS bags decrease the bruchids lose the ability to produce water and die of dehydration.[9] It is reasonable to assume that this same adaptation exists in other postharvest insects.
A USAID program that develops public private partnerships to commercialize agricultural technologies for smallholder farmers, funded Purdue University to commercialize its Purdue Improved Crop Storage bag (PICS).
First, PICS bags keep insects out. After farmers fill the bags with harvested grains, the bags are tied so tightly that an airtight, or hermetic, seal forms. Without new oxygen flow through the bag, the insects inside the bag die and the physical barrier prevents new insects from entering.
Under the aegis of Partnering for Innovation’s market-entry grant, Purdue University introduced its PICS bag to the Kenyan market in partnership with local distributor Bell Industry Ltd. The program recently celebrated a successful milestone in holding 800 bag-opening ceremonies in local villages and markets that demonstrated the bags’ effectiveness. The open bag ceremonies serve as both a public training and marketing opportunity.
A demonstration of the PICS bag is presented to a women's group in Kenya in March 2014. (Purdue International Programs in Agriculture photo/Dieudonn Baributsa)
The USAID-funded Kenya Agriculture Value Chain Enterprises (KAVES) project is partnering with private sector companies like Bell Industries to address the lack of storage options available to smallholder farmers and cut losses due to poor postharvest handling. At the same time, by engaging the private sector to serve smallholder needs, KAVES is linking companies with potential new markets for their goods and services.
Dr. Larry Murdock, the Purdue entomology professor who led the team that developed PICS, traveled to western Burkina Faso in April to attend an “Open the Bag” ceremony. Hundreds of farmers from the town of Soumoussa gathered with local and regional leaders to watch as 80 PICS bags stuffed with various grains were opened after six months in the stockroom. “The grain was as well preserved as it was when it was put into storage,” Murdock said. “There was much excitement and interest in this low cost, simple hermetic technology that avoids the use of chemicals.”
“PICS project reaches about ten million people in Niger. It is a great example of collaboration and success, as several factors reinforce its importance for households’ food security,” says Dr. Hannibal Muhtar, World Vision’s Africa Livelihoods Security Team Leader.
P4P-supported farmers’ organizations are equipped with triple bags (PICS) specifically designed to extend cowpea shelf life. The benefits of these bags, combined with proper storage techniques, have been clear to many farmers’ organizations, allowing them to aggregate and sell larger quantities when prices are high.
Under the aegis of Partnering for Innovation’s market-entry grant, Purdue University introduced its PICS bag to the Kenyan market in partnership with local distributor Bell Industry Ltd. The program recently celebrated a successful milestone in holding 800 bag-opening ceremonies in local villages and markets that demonstrated the bags’ effectiveness. The open bag ceremonies serve as both a public training and marketing opportunity.
PICS bags have been proven effective to reduce damage caused by storage pests in cowpea, and are now being promoted in several countries in West and Central Africa as an effective nonchemical and economical hermetic storage system.
In 2007, researchers at Purdue University teamed up with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to introduce African farmers to a simple solution: an inexpensive, triple-layer bag that protects cowpeas from losses during storage. Purdue University researchers discovered that cowpeas stored in airtight containers prevent the development of weevil larvae that feed on the dried cowpeas, preserving the crop for months—even more than a year. The Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) bag is made from two inner high-density polyethylene plastic bags and an outer nylon sack.
PICS training participants and extension agents demonstrating how to check the PICS inner bags for holes and tears before usage during the PICS training in Kano State. Do not use a bag that has holes or tears.
Farmers check on cowpea seeds stored in Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) bag for the period of six (6) months, free of pest infestation.
The bags are made of two layers of polythene material surrounded by another third layer of woven nylon, a combination that makes them airtight, making it impossible for pests to survive inside.
Kenyan farmers are estimated to lose between 30 and 40 per cent of their harvest to pets and other post-harvest rodents every year.
Like metal drum silos used for grain storage, the PICS bag is sealed tightly and pests in the grains cannot survive for long as they are deprived of oxygen. This presents an opporunity for farmers to prevent post harvest losses, particularly of grains.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Purdue University’s Department of Entomology has worked with farmers to develop a multilayer plastic crop storage bag called PICS (Purdue Improved Crops Storage) bags. The project, which started its third phase in 2014, provides crop storage bags that are produced locally, are affordable for small farmers, are easy to use, and bolster farmers’ incomes while safeguarding food stores for consumption in emergencies.