Improved rice bag protects stored rice from moisture, pests and rats and keeps rice seeds viable
Tipo de pratica Reduce
Nombre la actividad profesional Improved rice bag protects stored rice from moisture, pests and rats and keeps rice seeds viable
Nombre del agente principal International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Tipo de agente(s) Agricultores
Ubicación Philippines
Etapa de la puesta en práctica Almacenamiento
Año de puesta en práctica 2012
Actividades realizadas o en vías de realización A rice storage bag that blocks the flow of both oxygen and water vapor has had a great result for rice farmers, who often deal with postharvest
losses of up to 15 percent of the harvest, as well as loss of nutritional quality. Developed by the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), the bag enables farmers to safely store their seeds for 9–12 months without reducing germination rates. The bag also
keeps away insects and rats without using chemicals and increases the percentage of whole rice grains recovered after milling by around
10 percent. A Filipino farmer, who found that his rice grains broke from moisture and suffered pest infestations during 7-month storage,
tested the new bags and reported that after keeping the harvest in the bags for 10 months, “the seeds were 100 percent viable, and none
were wasted." IRRI initiated and facilitates National Post-harvest Learning Alliances to embrace public and private stakeholders with an
interest in, and mandate to, establish local supply chains for technologies. Through Postharvest Learning Alliance, IRRI is assisting in setting up and training local distributors in new technologies for reducing post-harvest losses.
Resultados y repercusiones The FWF model calculated that, in Southeast
Asia, the carbon footprint of rice cultivation is particularly high, as rice is a methane-emitting crop, because of the decomposition of
organic matter in flooded paddy fields. Therefore, reducing post-harvest loss by 15 percent has a significant climate change mitigation
effect.