Functional and affordable food crop storage technologies for developing countries; with special reference to Nigeria

Abstract

Efforts to rapidly revive, develop and intensify agricultural production in Nigeria has not been matched by commensurate increase in the volume and improvement in methods and quality of storage facilities, intended to reduce post-harvest losses, estimated at about 46 % of the total grain harvest. The situation is essentially the same in many other developing countries. The volume of storage structures can be significantly increased by constructing affordable and efficient facilities using locally available materials, such as bamboo, timber, bricks, blocks and concrete, for small, medium and large scale storage needs. The quality of storage can be enhanced through provision of appropriate microclimatic conditions of temperature and relative humidity in the storage environment.