Commercial Villages Post-Harvest Value Chain-Wide
Smallholder Farmer: Grain Postharvest & Markets
- Farmer should guard produce from theft by adhering to community bylaws curbing theft of produce from stores and farms in the area
- Farm family to develop food budget (annual amount of food needed for all the people in the family/household at the rate of 300 Kg cereals, 30 Kg legumes per head per year besides vegetables and fruits)
- Determine the selling price: total cost of production* divided by total yield (use Commercial Villages Profitability analysis matrix). Add margin of between 15-30% for profit to get the selling price.
- Reduce grain rotting by bending maize cobs to allow water dripping, harvest legumes when fully matured and dry them, avoid exposure to moisture/rain
- Harvest crop after physiological maturity and dry it on mats or tarpaulins to less than 14% moisture to minimize mould growth and aflatoxins contamination.
- Acquire chemicals from reliable suppliers through collective purchasing; and apply them while strictly following instructions on the labels.
