US AID with other contributors have developed a free, online compendium on invasive species, citing such species as responsible for large production and postharvest losses. Site includes a searchable database and library, videos for training, datasheets, and more to be added as the site develops. http://www.cabi.org/isc/
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RSS feed for this sectionAdoption and Impact of an Award-Winning Postharvest Technology: The ASI Rice Thresher in the Senegal River Valley
Powerpoint presentation on the adoption of the ASI rice thresher. Outlines technical details as well as impact, and suggests that the recommendation could make a significant change in Senegalese rice harvesting – helping it to achieve its goal of becoming self-sufficient. http://www.africarice.org/workshop/grisp-mech/PPT/Diagne,%20africarice.pdf
Innovation of the Week: Empowering Impoverished Communities with Compatible Technologies
Compatible Technology International (CIT) focuses on developing small-scale technology for rural farmers to process crops and produce efficiently. The McKnight Organization (with SUA and ICRASAT) has given them a grant of $673,000 for a 4-year R&D project focusing on Malawi and Tanzania, focusing on adding value and reducing postharvest loss. http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/empowering-impoverished-communities-with-compatible-technologies-post-harvest-loss-food-waste-storage-corn-hunger/
Experts Call for Improved Technologies to Reduce Loss in Rice Harvesting
Pointing out that post-harvest loss in rice occurred to the extent of 15 per cent, K. Alagusundaram, Director, Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology, Thanjavur, suggested strategies for minimizing them. “Though paddy harvest is completely mechanized, there is still a need for developing mechanical harvesters that will not cause damage to either the grains or straw. […]
Sub-Saharan Africa Loses US$4bn to Postharvest Losses
Postharvest grain losses in sub-Saharan Africa are estimated at around US$4 billion a year, according to a World Bank and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report. The lost food, according to the report, titled: ‘Missing Food: The Case of Post-Harvest Grain Losses in sub-Saharan Africa’, could meet the minimum annual food requirements of at least 48 […]