Accra, July 15, 2013

6th AFRICA AGRICULTURE SCIENCE WEEK

PAEPARD 2 SIDE EVENT

Improving food security and income for smallholder

farmers through improved post

harvest technology

Kwame Afreh-Nuamah , PhD – Professor of entomology

OUTLINE

BACKGROUND Technology adoptedMOUs and efforts of partnersConsortium formed and efforts made so farWay forward

Technology adopted

Hermetic triple layer bags for storage of cowpea

Developed by Purdue University

Adopted for storage of other important cereal crops as maize, paddy rice and sorghum

Modifications introduced - biodegradable materials

Technology adopted

Modifications – environmentally friendly

Acceptance of such technology in countries where ordinary plastics are outlawed.

MOUs and efforts of partners

4th of March 2011:- MOU signed between FARA, University of Ghana and Concern Universal

Efforts of partners

FARA - Funding provided to UG for 2 Masters-by-research (Mphil) students

MOUs and efforts of partnersEfforts of partners

CU - facilitated the identification and selection of site and farmer participants in field research.

UG – completed field research with results that showed the potential of the biodegradable hermetic bags in protecting maize in storage therefore the triple-layer hermetic bag should be promoted so maize farmers could use it to store their grains

Consortium formed and efforts made so far

Consortium involving Concern Universal, University of Ghana Legon, Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Abrono Organic Farming Project, A Julius Kuhn-Instiut, Federal Research Centre, Germany on Cultivated Plants, Bio-Plastic Ghana Limited (Industry), and Bvumbwe Agricultural Station, Malawi formed

Consortium formed and efforts made so far

Efforts of consortiumConcept note developed and submitted to PAEPARD

Concept note adjudged to be of very good quality with a high potential to yield efficient partnership that will promote innovation.

Consortium formed and efforts made so far

Efforts of consortium6th -10th June, 2011(Nairobi, Kenya ) -- partnership inception workshop was organised for three consortia selected by FARA

Entebbe, Uganda - write-shop organised to finalise the development of the full proposal

April 2012 – proposal submitted to the AU call for proposals

Way Forward

Awaiting results from review of full proposal