As much as 50 percent of food is lost between harvest and consumption, often because of poor storage facilities that allow moisture, fungus, rodents and insects to take their toll. Improved storage and early processing such as drying can greatly reduce these losses. The increased food supplies can then be sold, or the land can be used for an alternative cash or food crop. Much of the labour involved in food production and processing is done by women and children, labour that brings few rewards when losses are high. Finding ways to improve production decreases labour demands, saves food and time and can help to improve family living conditions and cultural development. Children can focus more on education and play, instead of having to take on family responsibilities at an early age.
All crops differ physically and biologically, and so require specialized processing. Cassava, for example, deteriorates within a few days after harvest unless it is dried or made into gari. Yams are a similar crop, but can last much longer in a fresh state. A chipper, which is a simple processing machine, can help to expose cassava for rapid, easy drying in the sun.
Oil is highly valued throughout the world for cooking and as a source of energy and flavour. Manual or motor-driven machines are well suited to extract it: manually operated bridge presses for groundnuts and ram presses for sunflower and copra extract higher-quality oils with less effort and a higher percentage of oil extraction. Where they are used, these machines are very popular because they save effort and increase production and because the availability of oil improves diets and leads to improved health. There are many villages, however, with no knowledge of these machines or no opportunity to use them.
It is often wealthier farmers with the ability to raise purchase capital who can own and manage these machines. They become even wealthier if other farmers pay to use their machines. They can then buy other machines and process other crops, which puts them in very powerful positions. But if a group such as a farmers’ organization or cooperative invests in a machine, the standard of living of the entire group can be improved; lenders may be more willing to make a loan if a group of farmers is sharing responsibility for repayment. For those without land or other resources, machinery can mean new opportunities for employment. This will in turn discourage people from migrating to larger towns or cities in search of employment and provide greater security to the entire rural community.
Training can often be made available through local extension services. As the community is strengthened, management skills, machinery workshops, dealerships and communication networks can be introduced as appropriate. As the village becomes more secure, schools, medical facilities and other services can follow. In order to begin the process, however, a wide range of factors needs to be checked, because shortfalls in any one of these could lead to failure.
This booklet shows that if certain methods are followed, it is not too difficult to establish a viable business that operates efficiently and enjoys reasonable stability. National institutions favour small- and medium-scale enterprises for good reason: they have the potential to improve the overall prosperity of the country, eventually improving the balance of payments, increasing export potential and improving food security for the growing urban populations.
Loan and aid schemes can support the introduction of small-scale technology into poor areas, which often operate under traditional barter economies and where cash crops have not been available. The schemes exist in the tropics and in temperate climates in countries where agricultural patterns are changing, partly as a result of political changes. In such countries, there is often a growing need to become self-sufficient in food and to attain a higher level of internal security and economic prosperity.
The water pump and the grain mill are the two machines that usually offer the greatest benefit to a village. In many villages, women spend up to two hours every day grinding food, usually grain, using a traditional method such as a quern consisting of two circular stones. In Africa, an estimated 50 percent of all villages still pound grain in hollowed out logs or tree stumps. Imagine the time and effort that could be saved with a mechanized operation.
Before seeking funding and advice to initiate a mechanized operation, however, a wide range of factors must be considered. The first is the market for the produce. This might simply be the local community, or there may be commercial markets to consider if the village is within reasonable travelling distance of a town by bus or collection truck. If a farmer needs to grind 2 kg of grain each day for home use, and the smallest machine is capable of grinding 80 kg per day, the farmer would be able to process enough grain for 39 other families. In order to take advantage of this spare capacity, many machines are operated as a business with a manager or entrepreneur employed on a full or part-time basis. Because a machine may cost up to US$3 000 and the means must be found to pay for it, the business must be linked to a cash economy at some stage. Machines can be paid for with grain or flour, but a system has to be put in place to organize this. When a machine is simply given as a form of aid, it does not foster independence as it would when there is some form of organized payback system.
Socio-economic factors must be considered too. When women use machines, they save as much as two hours of work each day. They might miss the social aspects of being together to pound their grain, although the time could be spent in further processing. In the case of cassava, for example, there is the incentive of adding value to the product by making the fermented and roasted product known as gari or farina, rather than the raw roots. Most crops lend themselves to further treatment or processing, leading to a higher and more consistent quality and fewer losses.
