Overcoming High Grain Moisture Content Prior to Storage in Poor Communities: The Case of Rungwe District, Tanzania

Abstract

A study was conducted on a sample of 260 randomly selected farm households in Katumba ward, Rungwe district, Tanzania in 2009. Farm households were interviewed regarding maize grain moisture content at harvest, the effectiveness of maize drying methods in use the proportions of maize they normally lost to storage pests. The availability of biogas and its feasibility for maize drying prior to storage were investigated through studying the potential for the types of latrines used in the study area to accumulate biogas. Maize samples from a sub-sample of 130 farm households were collected at harvest and studied for moisture content using a moisture content tester. Another set of 130 maize samples were collected from the same sub-sample households after five months of maize grain storage and studied for insect infestation using the incubation method. Findings showed that farm households dried maize in the sun or in the roofs. Moisture content of maize at harvest was high, and the drying methods in use were inadequate to dry it fast and thoroughly, thus encouraging the infestation of maize by pests. Also, all of the farm households used latrines that have capacity to accumulate biogas. Thus it was concluded that the maize drying methods were not efficient, that the use of biogas for maize drying was feasible, and that the latter could be the most suitable grain drying technology for the climatic conditions in Rungwe district.