Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post ...

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for
the Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss

Food Processing Innovation Lab Inaugural Meeting

August 16-18, 2014
Dakar, Senegal

Dirk E. Maier, Ph.D., P.E.

Professor & Head, Grain Science & Industry
Director, IGP Institute

Co-Director, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of
Post-Harvest Loss (www.reducePHL.org)

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the
Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss

Funded by:
USAID: Global Hunger and Food Security Research Strategy:

Climate Resilience, Nutrition, and Policy
(RFA-OAA-12-000036)

Program Area 5:
Reduced Post-Harvest Losses and Food Waste

University Partners:
Kansas State University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Oklahoma State University
Fort Valley State University
South Carolina State University
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
University of Kentucky

Partner Leverage:

LWA = Leader with Associate Award

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the
Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss

Purpose: To provide global leadership in food security by
reducing post-harvest loss (PHL) and food waste of durable staple
crops (grains, oilseeds, legumes, root crops, seeds) and their
processed value-added products through a strategic and applied
research and education program aimed at confronting constraints
on integrating smallholder and subsistence farmers, producer
cooperatives and agribusiness enterprises with market-based
value chains from seed to end-user.

Post-Harvest Loss and Food Waste

PHL Innovation Lab Initial FtF Focus Countries

• Bangladesh
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala

PHL Innovation Lab Goals

• Enhancing capacity to improve drying,
conditioning, handling, storage, pest
management, transportation, grading,
standardization and marketing of their crops

• Expanding access to Post-Harvest Service
Centers utilizing "Warehouse Receipt Systems"
(WRS) (value chain access)

• Pilot testing of promising “on the shelf” and
“in the field elsewhere” best practices and
technologies

Improve On-farm Drying

PHL Innovation Lab Approach

o “On-the-shelf” Technologies

 Low-cost, microchip-based sensors for grain moisture determination
 Simple tools to detect fungal infection and measuring mycotoxin levels
 Sensors to monitor CO2
 Drying grain within enclosures by sun or mechanical means
 Locally available inert dusts (diatomaceous earths), silica nanoparticles,

and/or botanicals as insecticides
 Storing grain in insecticide-coated polypropylene bags
 Demonstrating benefits of Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags

(triple bagging)
 Using commercial GrainPro Superbags/cocoons
 Use of small metal silos and plastic or metal drums for hermetic and

extended storage
 Food and pheromone-baited traps for monitoring insects inside and

outside warehouses and strategic grain reserve sites

Solar Dryers (German & IRRI Designs)

Small-scale Hermetic Storage Systems

Sealed Storage Cocoons (GrainPro Design)

Small-scale Metal Silos (CIMMYT/SDC Design)

Small-scale Sealed Silos (Australian Design)

Small-scale Sealed Silos (Brazilian Design)

Model rING Volume (m³) Capacity Corn bags Height of Height of Total height
(Bushel) (60kg)) structure (mm) body (mm) (mm) A
1821 01 3,44
1823 03 8,16 98 D 868,5 3.176,9
232 2.697,3 5.005,7
43 1.674,0

102 1.674,0

PHL Innovation Lab Goals

• Using local artisans, business people and
workers to create and develop locally-
produced tools and technology to aid in
sustainability of resources and practices

• Employing advanced information technology-
based systems to more rapidly evaluate and
disseminate promising PHL reduction
innovations

Improve On-Farm Grain Storage

Local artisan manufactured
small-scale sealable metal silos

PHL Innovation Lab Goals

• Investigating cultural, social and economic
factors, with specific attention to gender
issues

• Increasing the quantity and quality of stored
food staples and dietary diversity, along with
country-specific nutrition education, thus
increasing access to nutritious food and
reducing under nutrition and food insecurity

Guatemala Team Trip 2014

PHL Innovation Lab Approach

1. Initial Participatory Assessment of the Value Chain

o Establish baseline of PHL
o Progress:

o Assessment trips to Guatemala (2), Ghana (1), Ethiopia (2), Bangladesh (1)

2. Project Development Based on Value Chain Assessment

o Determine key points within the value chain to concentrate initial
projects (PHL CCPs)

o Determine what “on-the-shelf” technologies and practices to
focus on

o Progress:

o On-site visits, trip reports and survey results are identifying PHL CCPs and
intervention technologies/practices

Ghana Team Trip 2014

PHL Innovation Lab Approach

3. Setting Up Pilot Projects – Progress: Focus of Yr 2 Workplan
4. Scaling Up
5. Inclusion of the Private Sector and other In-Country

Entities – Progress: A key focus during each visit
6. Cross-cutting Analyses

o Gender – Issues: Finding a specialist in each country
o Nutrition – Issues: Mycotoxins emerging as a key concern
o Environment – Issues: Improper use of pesticides/fumigants
o Economics – Issues: Connecting producers to reasonable

financing and functioning commodity trading systems

7. Engagement of Stakeholders – Part of each visit
8. Involvement of USAID Mission Offices – Part of each visit

Training of Grain Storage Personnel

PHL Innovation Lab Outcomes

• Trained 60 professionals in 8 train-the-trainer workshops

• Trained 2,000 farmers, cooperative members, and agribusiness
customers in 8 annual symposia

• Trained 5,400 smallholder farmers in 360 local Extension workshops

• Made available downloadable educational materials and
videos/audio files on demand via cell phones, internet etc

• Measurable evidence and impact that PHL has been reduced
because more smallholder/subsistence farmers, producer
cooperatives and agribusiness enterprises are linked/integrated with
market-based value chains from seed to end-user

• Measurable evidence and impact that food security has improved
because more people, at more times, have physical and economic
access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary
needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

IGP Institute

Our Mission
To provide innovative and relevant education
and technical programs to enhance the market
preference, consumption and utilization of U.S.
cereal grains, oilseeds and their value added
products for the global grain industry.

The 20,000 ft2, $4 million IGP Conference Center
dedicated in May 2004 includes conference, meeting
and class rooms for the continuing education of
industry professionals from around the globe.