Maize Seed Storage Facilities in Kenya Facts-Finding Mission, February 2012

Joergen Nielsen April 2012

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Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 1

Background and introduction ....................................................................................................................... 2

Purpose of the Mission ................................................................................................................................. 2

Approach to the Mission ............................................................................................................................... 2

The Findings ................................................................................................................................................... 2

Perspectives in Maize breeding ............................................................................................................... 3

Visited seed storage facilities ................................................................................................................... 4

Other visits and meetings ......................................................................................................................... 8

CIMMYT/ CARITAS - Farmers Silos ................................................................................................... 8

Cimbria .................................................................................................................................................... 9

EWB-Kenya ............................................................................................................................................ 9

Analyses and basic conditions ..................................................................................................................... 9

Performance requirements (first draft) .................................................................................................... 9

Storage needs .......................................................................................................................................... 11

Solutions ................................................................................................................................................... 11

Recommendations....................................................................................................................................... 13

Litterature ...................................................................................................................................................... 15

Annex 1. TOR for Facts Finding Mission: Kenya - grain storage .......................................................... 17

Annex 2. Time schedule for visit ................................................................................................................ 19

Annex 3. People who have contributed during the Mission ................................................................... 20

Acknowledgements The findings reported here are based on contributions from many sources. First of all the Gates

Foundation encouraged Engineers Without Borders in Denmark to become engaged in seed

storage in Africa, CIMMYT planed and arranged most of the internal travel and visits, and the

Velux Foundation provided financial support. Thank you also to the many people who generously

shared their knowledge. Their names are listed in Annex 3. Finally the Mission has benefited from

an efficient administrative service from CIMMYT-Kenya.

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Background and introduction Engineers without borders in Denmark, EWB-DK, had been contacted by the Gates Foundation

which is involved in substantial projects concerning improvement of crop and seed carried by

different organizations throughout Africa. These organizations, among which the International

Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, CIMMYT plays a key role, meet a huge need for technical

expertise. Gates Foundations has stated: “One recurring topic of note is that the infrastructure

concerning storage facilities for seed is not adequate and that this puts the genetic resources that

serve African communities at risk.”

EWB-DK has decided to become engaged in developing adequate ways of improving existing

facilities and/or developing adequate new facilities for storage of seed in Africa. As a first step

EWB-DK has conducted this Facts Finding Mission.

Purpose of the Mission The purpose of the mission was to study seed production in Kenya in general and learn about

existing storage facilities as a background for recommendations which can serve as a starting point

for developing a project to improve such facilities.

Furthermore, the Mission should be used to develop a net of contacts to organizations and

individuals, who may serve as partners for future development activities, see Terms of Reference

in Annex 1.

Approach to the Mission The Mission took place from February 19th to March 2nd 2012 starting with an opening meeting and

ending with a debriefing meeting at CIMMYT-Kenya. CIMMYT had planned for visits to different

types of storage facilities including CIMMYT´s own facilities, 4 regional centres and the central

gene bank within Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, KARI, and 6 seed companies. These

facilities were of different types and placed in different climate zones, see Figure 1. Furthermore,

visits to a provider of storage facilities in Africa, CIMBRIA-Nairobi, and the Kenyan branch of EWB

were arranged. Annex 2 shows the schedule for visits.

During and just after each visit, notes were written and together with photographs (more than 500)

they have served as the basic input for this report.

Before the Mission, a Danish background group was formed. The group has been used to provide

updated information on relevant issues as preparation to the mission and is ready to assist if a

project is launched.

Furthermore, the Mission was prepared for by making a brief literature review (see list of literature),

having a meeting with Grethe Tarp, who is an expert in certification of agricultural seed and has

been related to CIMMYT-activities, and by taking contact to CIMBRIA-Denmark, one of the world’s

leading producers within processing, handling and storage of grain and seed and has office and

factory facilities in Kenya.

The Findings The Mission provided background knowledge about maize breeding concerning developing,

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maintaining, and distribution of improved species of maize and detailed information about current

seed storage facilities, especially concerning their actual performance and their wanted

performance in relation to different working conditions. These findings are described in the

following sections.

Figure 1: Indication of places visited

Figure 2. Maize breeding

Perspectives in Maize breeding

Maize is now considered the most important crop for human food in Kenya and great efforts are

put into improving the food stock situation by developing the farming of different improved types of

maize. The leading players are CIMMYT, KARI and seed companies who each play a key role in

providing better quality seed to the farmers. For now the average yield in Kenya is about 1, 5 tons

per ha, and already now 3 tons per ha is possible and one seed company had as a development

target that in 10 years 5 tons per ha will be possible in Kenya.

Maize breeders work on different development lines. Some of the most important are:

Higher yield

Adaptation to different climate zones

Insect resistant

Draught tolerant (more area may be used)

Non-fertilizer tolerant (many farmers cannot afford fertilizer)

Protein enriched

Some of these species have been developed as hybrids, which calls for securing (storage) of

parent seeds in great numbers. (CIMMYT-Mexico has 150.000 variants). Hybrids are in many

cases developed by institutes and given to seed companies who are mainly interested in growing

and marketing hybrids.

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Because maize cross-pollinates different genes may be introduced as some kind of pollution to a

developed hybrid. Therefore parent seed must always exist, also for variants already developed

and used as basis in the commercial production.

If more parent seed are needed or if the germination percentage, vitality, of the existing seeds on

stock are becoming unacceptably low a re-vitalization takes place. This is done in a rather work-

intensive process where the pollination in the field is completely controlled by protecting the plants

from naturel pollination, se Figure 2. It was in this connection argued that local gene banks for

active parent seeds have to be on location and not only in central banks.

This means that higher storage capacity and longer preservation of vitality have a great impact on

the amount of work put into maintenance of parent seed. For gene banks 75 % germination is

acceptable while more than 90% is required for commercial sales. It also means that it is a

catastrophe if a storage facility fails to protect the basic seeds.

Different kinds of insects challenge the maize production. Some of the most important are Stem

borer, Maize weevil and Larger grain borer, LGB, which may cause serious damage as well pre-

harvest as post-harvest. In relation to storage (post-harvest) LGB is the most serious one.

The breeder activity calls for facilities for storage of rather small quantities, while production of the

selected types of seed by seed companies calls for production and handling of larger quantities.

The study of such facilities was the main purpose of the visit as described in the following section.

Visited seed storage facilities

Eleven storage facilities were visited. One of these belongs to CIMMYT and it is located in Kiboko.

This facility is operated in cooperation with The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, KARI.

CIMMYT has a close cooperation with KARI who has 30 regional centres. Three other KARI

regional centres and the KARI Central Gene Bank were visited. Finally six seed companies were

visited. Table 1 shows key information concerning visited storage facilities.

Name Type of activity

Storage facilities / production

Owner Comments

CIMMYT / KARI Kiboko

Research and development

5 tons 5 rooms – one cold room (18 deg. C) Only two of the rooms built for storage.

Internatio-nal / State

Need of increased capacity and for upgrading of performance

KARI Embu

Research Development Production

14 tons 1 freezer (- 15 deg. C) 1 cold room (+5 deg. C) 1 room – not built for storage Containers

State Need of increased capacity Plastic containers are used for storage in the cold room

KARI Katumani

Production 1.000 tons 2 cold rooms 3 rooms – none of them built for storage

State Need of increased capacity and for upgrading of performance (none of the cold room were working) Silos should be considered

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KARI Mtwapa

Development Production

9 tons 2 cold rooms 1 open storage place

State Facilities are not working due to lack of repair. Storage takes place at CIMMYT

KARI Seed Bank

Long term basic seed storage

60.000 samples 2 cold rooms, one at – 20 deg. C and one at +5 deg. C

State Works well

Pannar Seed

Production 1.000 tons + containers inside the building used for temperature stabilisation (max 25 deg. C)

Private Works well

Seed Co Production 4.000 tons

Private A room below a first floor of concrete a considerably lower and more stable temperature was achieved (about 18 deg. C)

Dryland Seed Co

Production 500 tons Private Concrete roof gives a relatively stable temperature of about 22 deg. C

Frescho Seed Co

Production 500 tons Private Wants a cold room with the capacity of 5-10 tons

Western Seed

Production Development

3.000 tons + 200 tons of parent seeds at 15 deg. C

Private Compressors are found to cause problems

Kenya Seed Co

Production 30.000 tons + Basic seed stored in an insulated concrete structure inside the building at 5 deg. C

State / Private

One storage building had double layer roof and a considerable lower temperature was experienced

Table 1. Visited places with key information

The facilities are partly used to store small samples of breeder seeds in cold rooms, se figures 3

and 4, and partly to store larger quantities in sacks at room temperature, see Figure 5 and 6. At

room temperature it is necessary to fumigate every three months or if insect attacks are detected.

Also precautions against mice and rats are necessary.

Some of the observations from the visits are:

Generally the lack of space was a problem. That has, at several sites, lead to storage of seeds

in rooms built for offices or in shelters for machinery, see Figure 7

At some places signs of water leakages through the roof was seen, see Figure 8

At some places the cooling equipment was not working due to needs of repair or maintenance.

It was not clear to which extend the breaking down of electrical equipment was influenced by

power failure which occurs quite often, see Figure 9

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A couple of cold rooms had an inner lining of aluminium, see Figure 10. That is a doubtful

technology, firstly because the vapour barrier is on the wrong side of the surface and secondly

because there is no effect of reflection of heat radiation when the heat comes from the outside

In many cases store houses had a single layer steel roof which reaches a high temperature

during day time so that heavy ventilation had to be provided to keep day temperature down,

see Figure 11 (Air temperature at Kiboko the latest 24 hours before the visit were between 15,0

deg. C and 35,9 deg. C). At a few places a concrete roof or a double layer roof showed to be

able to ensure a more constant temperature over 24 hours.

Plastic foam insulation was seen at several places. This type of insulation is highly flammable

and since fire an item of great concern it should be considered to use mineral wool.

Silica gel was used for dehumidification. I may be questioned if that is an effective procedure

for larger quantities.

A burning candle light was used to remove oxygen in sealed containers. It is a question if that

is necessary.

At one place it was argued that storage in contact with the floor keeps the seeds cooler. That is

correct for day time, but probably not for night, but it does ensure a more equal temperature

over 24 hours.

Generally temperatures were monitored, but not relative humidity.

Figure 3. Seed samples stored in a cold room in paper bags

Figure 4. Seed samples stored in a cold room in hermetic closed bags of aluminium/plastic bags

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Figure 5. Large facility with maize seed ready for sale

Figure 6. Spacing is important in relation to ventilation and fumigation

Figure 7. Seed storage in a room not build for storage

Figure 8. Water has penetrated through the roof

To conclude:

The visits provided detailed information about the current seed storage facilities, especially

concerning their actual performance and their wanted performance in relation to different working

conditions (Long term storage/gene bank, medium term storage, and short time storage). This

information includes:

A serious need of storage capacity – facilities were overfilled or facilities not build for storage

were widely used

Equipment which had worked previously but not been maintained due to lack of funds

Some solutions, which were obviously not working well. That confines lack of insulation, wrong

placement of vapour barriers in walls of cold rooms, and wrong use of reflectors

Some solutions which seem to work well and therefore should be considered for use in future

storage facilities (hermetic storage, double layer roof, insulation)

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In general, grain storage facilities seem not to be given the attention they deserve, maybe because

people are devoted to seed development not to development or maintenance of storage facilities.

However, at all visited places were found a wide interest in more knowledge concerning adequate

solutions to different types of storage needs. Some companies even hesitated in investing in better

facilities because it was not clear to them which technical solution would be best for their specific

needs.

Figure 9. Compressor which has not worked for years due to lack of maintenance

Figure 10. Inner lining with aluminium

Figure 11. Single layer steel roof with ventilator Figure 12. Micro-silos

Other visits and meetings

CIMMYT/ CARITAS - Farmers Silos

Caritas and CIMMYT have cooperated on developing low cost metal silos for farmers and groups

of farmers. In general farmers will need a storage capacity of about 0,8 tons, varying between 100

kg to 3 tons to maize for consume and seed. One possibility is a shared facility where a group of

farmers cooperates on storage and marketing. This enables the farmers to reduce losses due to

post harvest attacks from insects (may be up to 50 %), and give them a better control on price

because they do not have to sell just after harvest. Furthermore, the farmers need not buy new

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seed every year. In spite of a cost for a metal silo from 5.000 to 30.000 KSh, the pay-back time

may be lower than three years.

The Mission was shown such metal silos at the CIMMYT / KARI Regional Centre in Kiboko and at

CARITAS regional Centre in EMBU, where silos of different sizes were shown, see Figure 12. The

storage volumes correspond to 3, 5, 10 and 30 bags. Also the workshop, where these silos were

produced, and at a farmers association, KAMARUGU PMG, where three larger silos were sheared

by 30 farmers, were visited. It was demonstrated how the last portion of grain was taken out of the

silo and emphasized that it was made sure that everything is out before new material is added.

Cimbria

CIMBRIA has been present in Kenya for many years and for the time being there is about 35

employees and a similar number on contracts. CIMBRIA claims to be one of the world’s leading

producers within processing, handling and storage of grain and seed and increasingly other

products.

The following information was given:

Grain loss is by storage in silos is reduced from 25% to 3%

CIMBRIA works with cold storage as well as hermetic storage, and points at condensation as focus item for cold storage.

For safety concerning cooling (and drying) two independent systems each running one-third capacity should be installed.

Storage in (larger) silos can be arranged so that a mobile compressor blows cold and dry air into the silo for 2 to 3 days until the interior temperature is 5 Deg. C in the silo. The silo can then maintain a low temperature for 3 months and the compressor can serve other silos

EWB-Kenya

The purpose of the meeting was to develop the link between EWB-Kenya and EWB-DK.

EWB-Kenya is a small organization with less than 10 active members. The activity is mainly related

to education within the African Advanced Training Institute, which offers training for a profession

(non-academic). The activity is mainly concentrated on:

Water and sanitation

Geology

Mechanics

Energy systems – solar cells (commercial energy is too expensive)

IT

Health care

Education

The best opportunity for a co-operation with EWB-DK seems to be on projects (2 to 4 months)

done by students as part of their education.

Analyses and basic conditions

Performance requirements (first draft)

The basic requirement is for storage of maize is:

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A facility which at acceptable costs ensures an acceptable preservation of germination capability

for a specified number of years.

In more details this means:

1. No fungoid growth (mould)

Fungoid growth is mainly a question of humidity. Below a water content of 12,5 % storage

seems to be safe (Figure 13). A tight roof is important

2. No insect activity

Larger Grain borer seems to be the biggest problem. At 28 deg. C the activity is at its maximum

and below 20 deg. C there is no activity (Figure 14). However, two alternatives ways are used

to stop the activity:

A) Fumigation

B) Hermetic closure

3. No access from mice and rats

Difficult because of openings for ventilation etc., so baits may be necessary

4. Control of moisture content and temperature of the seed.

These are the most important parameters in preserving vitality, see figures 13 and 14. The

National Gene bank, KARI, stated that within certain limits the life time was doubled for each 1

% the moisture content is reduced and for each 5 deg. C the temperature is reduced

5. Safe for fire

Grain dust and some insulation materials are highly burnable, and bad electric wiring or mice

attacks on wires may give rise to ignition

6. Sufficient and well organized spacing in cold rooms (shelving) and in larger store houses at

natural temperature

Depends on the type of activity – small bags, larger bags, containers (silos)

7. Easy to clean

Smooth surfaces, space between stored material

8. Reliable and simple equipment for climate control

9. A minimum total costs (construction and running costs for energy and maintenance)

10. Good working conditions – light if no windows,

Figure 13. Moisture content and mould Figure 14. Temperature and insect activity

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Storage needs

The visit has shown how the production of maize seed calls for different types of storage facilities.

Table 2 shows some types which may be taken as references for a discussion of the engineering

approach in searching for optimal solutions in relation to specified requirements.

CIMMYT emphasized that all the types of storage facilities listed in table 2 are relevant for

CIMMYT and those with whom they collaborate. Briefly the following volumes were mentioned:

- For research – 3 tons – stored 2-4 years

- For research partners – 5 tons, 5 places in Kenya – stored for 2-4 years

- Seed companies (commercial activity – from 5 tons to much more – stored for one year

- Farmers (seeds) – less than 1 ton – for one month

It was emphasized that safety is important. Experience from 1980-ies where 5 to 7 storage rooms

failed to function within one year was still seen as something which shall not be repeated. Back-up

facilities were briefly mentioned.

Name Type of storage

Target life of seeds

Basic requirements Mode of storage

GB Gene bank 50 + years

Moisture content 7 % Temperature - 20 deg. C Hermetic sealed in aluminium foils

Small bags (samples)

BS Breeder seed

5 + years

Moisture content 10 - 12 % Temperature + 5 deg. C Hermetic sealed in aluminium foils – or paper bags in relative humidity below 50 %

Small bags (samples)

ABS Active breeder seed

2 – 3 years

Moisture content 12 % Temperature + 16 deg. C Hermetic sealed in containers – or bags in relative humidity below 50 %

Bags or containers

STS Short term storage

1 – 2 years

Moisture content 12,5 % Temperature + 25 deg. C Hermetic sealed in containers incl. silos – or bags in relative humidity below 50 %

Bags or containers (silos)

PS Process storage

Up to 2 month

Moisture content 12,5 % Temperature +30 deg. C

Bags

Table 2. Different types of seed storage facilities

Solutions

With reference to Table 2 it is clear that different technical solutions are needed for different

purposes and that even for a specific purpose several options exist. It is therefore up to an

engineering approach to come up with the solution which best fulfils the performance

requirements.

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As a starting point different main solutions are indicated in figure 15 with link to applications (Table

2) and to different approaches to control the climate conditions. It shall be noted that:

Hermetic sealed specimens may be in small aluminium foil bags, small containers (of glass,

plastic or metal) or in silos (big or small) or airtight plastic bags (big or small). It is not clear

what it takes to make a plastic membrane Grain Borer safe

If the solution is based on temperature and humidity control the ventilation has to be restricted,

doors sealed and insulation (mineral wool and double layer roof) is required in order to save

energy

Silos may be small plastic silos (Grain Borer safe)

Silos used continuously should be designed for Mass Flow, which ensures First-in-first–out

performance, see Figure 16

According to CIMBRIA there exist big hermetically closed plastic bags (several cubic meters) safe for insects which will die within 72 hours. That means that fumigation is not needed.

A paper from Tea and coffee Trade journal [14] contains a diagram showing that mould will not grow if the relative humidity of the air is below 60 % which is in equilibrium with the moisture content in green coffee at 11 %. A similar diagram for maize showing the equilibrium for relative humidity and moisture content (independent of temperature?) should be found. This will allow for monitoring relative humidity instead of moisture content which is much cheaper

For drying, air heated by the sun may be is used

However, some questions are still not answered:

Can insulation combined with ventilation only during night put temperature below 20 deg. C

without artificial cooling? That would mean a lot to insect attacks

What is the most efficient way to dry small samples of seed?

Is it time to make use of solar cells for electricity?

What is the cheapest plastic container which cannot be penetrated by insects?

To which extent will conveyer handling damage the germination critically?

Concerning micro silos:

- May the silo be developed for drying the maize by using warm air?

- Should the silo be reshaped to be First-in-first-out?

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Figure 15. Different main solutions with link to applications (Table 2) and to different approaches to control the climate conditions

Figure 16. Only if a silo is designed for Mass Flow it act as First-in-first-out

Recommendations

The first draft of performance requirements and of the categorization of different type of

storage facilities as presented in this report should be discussed with CIMMYT and a

second version developed

A catalogue of ideas to technical solutions which fulfils such performance requirements

should be developed and evaluated concerning economy, risks and maintenance. This

includes hermetic storage, double layer roof, insulation, use of controlled ventilation (mainly

at night), methods for cooling and de-moisture, use of solar cells for power, equipment for

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monitoring temperature and relative moisture content, and in some cases use of silos with

first-in-first-out design

The most promising of these solutions should be analysed (simulations) and maybe tested

to allow for some documented standard solutions to be proposed for the different types of

storage facilities

A project for an increased storage capacity for CIMMYT (and maybe KARI) should be

developed and after construction it should, for a period, be monitored to ensure that the

expected performance (temperature, relative moisture content and energy consumption) is

achieved

A project for upgrading existing CIMMYT facilities should be developed

Knowledge concerning seed storage facilities should be made available to interested

organisations and companies in the region. That could be done by some kind of a seminar

or a conference

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Litterature

1. Insektresistens I U-lande, Jacob Lage

moMentum Nr 1 2007 (In Danish)

States:

10% of all harvested maize in Kenya is destroyed by Larger Grain Borer and it is not unusual

that poor farmers experience a loss of 50 % of their harvested maize

2. Efficacy of traditional Maize seed storage methods in Western Kenya , P.W. Wambugu,

P.W. Mathenge, E.O. Auma, H.A. van Rheenen

African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development . June, 2009

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7400/is_4_9/ai_n35541752/

States:

There are inadequate facilities and inappropriate methods for seed storage among rural

farmers (10 % loss)

3. AGRA's Programme for Africa's Seeds Systems (PASS), Anon

http://www.agra-alliance.org/section/work/seeds

States:

From 1997 to 2007 there was only enough improved maize seed to meet one-third of farmers

demand. This masks large difference among countries. In Niger for example, improved maize

covers only 4% of farmer needs.

Need to develop processing and storage capacity

4. Cryopreservation and Seed Storage, Kathy Waddington

http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/seed.htm

5. Characterization of Maize Producing Households in Machakos and Makueni Districts in Kenya,

Lutta Muhammad, Domisiano Mwabu, Richard Mulwa, Wilfred Mwangi, Augustine Langyintuo,

and Roberto La Rovere

DTMA Country Report – Kenya, March 2010

http://repository.cimmyt.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10883/1092/94641.pdf?sequence=1

6. Methods of screening maize for resistance to stem borers and post-harvest insect pests, Mugo,

S.; Likhayo, P.; Tadele, T.; Tende, R.

CIMMYT 2011

http://repository.cimmyt.org/xmlui/handle/10883/817

7. Community Assessment of Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) in Kenya, Mwangi, W.M.;

Mwabu, D.; Muhammad, L.; La Rovere, R.

CIMMYT 2009

http://repository.cimmyt.org/xmlui/handle/10883/1083

8. Seed Business Management in Africa, MacRobert, John F.

CIMMYT, 2009

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http://purl.umn.edu/56174

- design of store houses

9. Recent Advances in the Conservation and Utilization of Generic Resources, Ed. by Nathan

Russell and G. Michael Listman

Proceedings ofthe Global Maize Germplasm Workshop. CIMMYT, Mexico, 6-12 March 1988

http://books.google.dk/books/p/cimmyt?id=JYsinQovJZIC&pg=PA82&dq=storage&hl=es&cd=1

&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=storage&f=false

10. Seed Conservation and Distribution: The Dual Role of the CIMMYT Maize Germplasm Bank.

Mexico, CIMMYT. 1986

http://libcatalog.cimmyt.org/download/cim/13567.pdf

11. Insect-resistant Maize – a case study of fighting the African stem borer, Jürg Bürgi

Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK ; Cambridge, MA, USA : CABI, ©2009. ISBN 978-1-84593-569-6

About:

The project: Insect Resistant Maize for Africa, IRMA 1999-2009

12. The metal silo: An effective grain storage technology for reducing post-harvest insect and

pathogen losses in maize while improving smallholder farmers’ food security in developing

countries, Tadele Tefera,Fred Kanampiu, Hugo De Groote, Jon Hellin, Stephen Mugo, Simon

Kimenju, Yoseph Beyene, Prasanna M. Boddupalli, Bekele Shiferaw, Marianne Banziger

Crop Protection 30. 2011, pp 240-145

13. Mass Rearing of Stem Borers, Maize Weevil, and Larger Grain Borer Insect Pests of Maize,

Tadele Tefera, Stephen Mugo, Regina Tende and Paddy

Likhayo. 2010. CIMMYT: Nairobi, Kenya. ISBN: 978-92-9059-285-3

http://repository.cimmyt.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10883/815/94546.pdf?sequence=1

14. Breakthrough in Storing High quality coffee, Steve Aronson, Raul Raudales, Rich Trubey and

Phillip Villers

TEA & COFFEE Trade Journal. Vol. 177, no 11, 2005

See also

http://books.google.com/books/p/cimmyt?q=storage&hl2=en&hl=es&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

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Annex 1. TOR for Facts Finding Mission: Kenya - grain storage

Background EWB-DK has been in contact with Gates Foundation (Brian Love), www.gatesfoundation.org . Gates Foundation is involved in substantial work done by different organizations throughout Africa in the area improvement of crop and seed. These organizations, among which CIMMYT, www.cimmyt.org, plays a key role, serve local communities, and meet a huge need for technical expertise with regards to equipment at the level of research facilities and seed companies. One recurring topic of note is cold rooms and their importance for crop improvement research. Many scientists indicate that the infrastructure is not adequate and that this puts the genetic resources that serve African communities at risk. These cold rooms exist all over Africa or in many cases need to exist but do not. For existing rooms for cold storage for research seed there is a need for a number of (simple) fixes. For non-existing cold rooms there is a need for a way to establish an infrastructure that is cheap and durable.

EBW-DK engagement EWB-DK, http://iug.dk/index.php/uk/forsiden , is considering to become engaged in developing adequate ways of improving existing facilities and / or developing adequate new facilities for storage of seed in Africa. As a first step EWB-DK will send Jørgen Nielsen to Kenya on a Facts Finding Mission to study existing facilities and to develop a net of contacts to organizations and individuals, who may serve as partners for development of adequate solutions and/or in implementing such ones in practice. Prior to the mission Jørgen Nielsen will explore relevant existing knowledge in Denmark. It is expected that the results of the mission will make it possible for EWB-DK to establish a project of interest to Gates Foundation.

Activities in DK before departure to Kenya Activities before the mission departure comprise:

Follow up on the e-mail correspondence held so far between EWB-DK and Gates Foundation (Brian Love), CIMMYT-US (Gary N. Atlin) and CIMMYT- Kenya (Wilfred Mwangi), aiming at detailing the Terms of Reference, TOR, for the Mission.

Consultations with CIMBRIA, http://www.cimbria.com/en-GB/Home.aspx, on the following items:

o Optimal climate conditions for storage of seed – moisture and temperature o Different types of containers and climate conditioning o Contact to CIMBRIA´s Kenya office

Contact to the Danish branch of CIMMIT, mainly to look for Danish contacts for discussions on optimal climate conditions for the storage of seed

Preliminary literature review on wheat and maize farming in Kenya (mainly CIMMYT-publications)

TOR for Facts finding mission The purpose of the mission is to collect information and seek contacts for cooperation to a level where EWB can decide if is feasible to develop a pilot project, and if so to formulate the basic ideas for such a project. The mission is suggested to start on Monday 20th of February 2012 and the duration stipulated to 10 days. The mission should include:

Interviews with key persons (from Gates Foundation and CIMMYT) in order to better understand the organization of CIMMYT´s activities in Kenya, especially the activities concerning the development of high yield crop, the cold storage capacity that exists, and the issues of concern that are being experienced. A key issue is who is responsible for the

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functioning of the existing facilities (Who is the owner of the problem?). Another key issue should be to describe performance criteria for an adequate storage facility (volume, facilities for drying, cooling ventilation, protection, etc.) and to describe the existing facilities (in a region?) in relation to that. Brian Love has provided the following list: 1. Insulation (no windows, good roof insulation, good door and seal) 2. Lighting (need to have good lighting given absence of windows) 3. Shelving (need good shelving to make good use of the space) 4. Humidity (these should be termed cold-dry rooms because wet cold is bad for seed) 5. Medium-term storage (often scientists think they need to hold on to things for much longer than is necessary so right-sizing the engineering is important) 6. Proximity to seed lab workspace (the closer you are to the seed lab where seed will be counted and used the better, decreases work for getting seed and putting it back) 7. Possibility for fumigation (it is good if you can fumigate the cold room without health risk or damage to infrastructure, this is tricky because if you want to be close to your seed lab risk is an issue, also some fumigants interact with metals and can cause problems for electrical and other cold room infrastructure, sometimes the solution is to have a separate even mobile container that can be vented properly and fumigation of seed requires transfer to this structure, in other cases it is possible to engineer the cold room so that it meets spec for safe and efficacious fumigation)

A visit to some cold storage facilities in Kenya, both with a very well run cold-storage facility in Malindi and with cold storage facilities that need work in Kiboko

Discussions with CIMMYT and partners about hermetic storage of dry seed as a short- and medium-term solution. Garry from CIMMYT states: Seed stored at low moisture content in airtight containers can maintain its viability for several years in the tropics, as we and many other groups have shown. Small seed companies, national programs, and even CIMMYT could make much better use of this technology, which is not dependent on a reliable power supply or expensive refrigeration and dehumidification equipment, or major modifications to buildings. One of the problems is that there are good commercial solutions available from companies like GrainPro for larger seedlots, but not for breeding materials. We could use some help in developing approaches to rapid drying of small seedlots to 10% moisture or less, and in identifying a range of low-cost plastic containers that are easily sealed and that have low permeability to 02, C02, and water vapor, and that are strong enough to resist larger grain borer attack. Glass jars work well, of course, but are a bit unwieldy to store. Perhaps Steen, Tadele Tefera (the CIMMYT entomologist working on this problem), Bish Das (a CIMMYT breeder and pathologist who has also worked with hermetic storage) and I could chat about potential work with Engineers without Borders.

Meeting with EWB Kenya – a possible partner?

Meeting with CIMBRIA-Kenya – about their experience on large scale storage and advice on small scale storage

Mission Report The mission report will conclude with recommendations for future actions, including partners for such actions.

Follow up in Denmark Dependent on the findings and EWB-DK´s decisions, a pilot scale project shall be planned and an application to Gates Foundation developed.

Further perspective Similar problems are identified in Uganda, Nigeria and Mocambique.

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Annex 2. Time schedule for visit

Date Time/Flight Logistics details Activity FacilitatorMeans of

transport

19.02.2012 KLM 565: 2040 Pick up by VIP Cabs Arrival of Joergen Nielsen to Nairobi Self Air

20.02.20129:00 AM ( From Guest

house Reception) Pick up by CIMMYT/Sarah

1) Meeting CIMMYT Scientists at Nairobi

ICRAF House and discussions on seed

storage issues

2) Visit to Paneer ltd Nairobi

3) Visit to Seedco ltd Nairobi

Bish Road

21.02.20126:00 AM ( From Guest

house Reception) Pick up by Tadele

Travel and visit to Cimmyt/KARI Kiboko

cold and hermetic seed storageTadele/ Bish Road

22.02.20126:00 AM ( From Guest

house Reception) Pick up by VIP Cabs

Travel and visit to

1) KARI-Embu

2) Caritas-Embu

Tadele/ Bish Road

23.02.20126:00AM ( From Guest

house Reception) Pick up by VIP Cabs

Travel and visit to

1) KARI-Katumani

2) Dryland Seed Company

Tadele/ Bish Road

24.02.20126:30AM ( From Guest

house Reception) Pick up by VIP Cabs

Visits in Nairobi

1) KARI National gene bank

2) CIMBRIA

3) Kenya Division of Engineers Without

Borders

Tadele/ Bish Road

25.02.2012 Free Self N/A

26.02.2012

8:30AM ( From Guest

house Reception) to

airport

Pick up in Nairobi by VIP

Cabs. Pick up in Kitales by

Westen Seed Company

Visit to Westen Seed Company Tadele/ Bish Air

27.02.2012

8:30AM ( From Kitale

Club Reception) to

Kenya Seed. Retun to

Nairobi in the

afternoon

Pick up from Kitale Club

seed by hired cab. Pick up

in Nairobi by VIP Cabs

Visit to Kenya Seed company Tadele/ Bish Road

28.02.2012

9:00AM ( From Guest

house Reception) to

airport

Pick up by VIP Cabs Fly from Nairobi to Mombasa Tadele/ Bish Air/Road

29.02.2012

8:30 AM ( From Guest

house Reception) to

Mtwapa cold seed

storage later to airport

Self ( taxis available at

hotel)Visit to KARI-Mtwapa cold seed storage Tadele/ Bish Air/Road

01.03.2012 Wrap up with CIMMYT and end of visit Tadele/ Bish Air/Road

02.03.2012

5:30 AM ( From Guest

house Reception) to

airport

KLM flight at 08:20 to

AmsterdamDeparture of Joergen Nielsen

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Annex 3. People who have contributed during the Mission

CIMMYT-Nairobi:

B. M. Prasana, Director

Tadele Tefera, Ph.D, Maize Etomologist

Biswanath Das, Ph.D, Maize Breeder

Yoseph Beyene, Ph.D, Maize Breeder

Dan Makumbi, Ph.D, Maize Breeder

Stephen N. Mugo, Ph.D, Maize Breeder

Hugo De Groote, Ph.D, Agricultural Economist

KARI/CIMMYT regional Centre in Kiboko

Joel Mbitni, KARI/CIMMYT regional center

Charles Marangu/ CIMMYT regional center

Tadele Tefera, CIMMYT, Nairobi

KARI Regional Centre in Embu

Stephen W. Njoka, Centre Director, KARI regional centre

Ezekiah Ngoroi, Senior Research Scientist, KARI regional centre

Charles Mutinda, Ph.D., Breeder, KARI regional centre

Charles Marangu/ CIMMYT regional centre

KARI Regional Centre in Katumani

James Karanja, KARI regional center

Clement Kamau Karari, Sorgham breeder, KARI regional centre

Charles Marangu/ CIMMYT regional centre

KARI Regional Centre in Mtwapa

Rahab W. Muinga, PhD, Centre Director, KARI regional center

Usyimi B. Muli, Head of food crop Programme, KARI regional center

Jacson Shuma, KARI regional center

KARI National Gene Bank, February 24th 2012

Peterson Wambungo, KARI national Gene Bank

Pannar Seed (Kenya) LTD, Nairobi

Macleod Nkhoma, Managing Director, Pannar

Titus Kosgei from CIMMYT, Nairobi, Kenya

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Seed-Co LTD, Nairobi

Kassim Owino, Country Manager, Seed-co

Rogers Mugambi, Sales & Marketing Lead

Titus Kosgei from CIMMYT, Nairobi, Kenya

Dryland Seed Company

Rose Mueni Mgumbi, Dryland Seed Company

Charles Marangu/ CIMMYT regional center

Frescho Seed Company LTD

Capt. J. Gichanga Karanja, General Manager

John N. Ndungu, Production Manager

John Karanja, Finance

Western Seed Company Ltd, Kitale

Saleem Esmail, CEO & Breeder, Western Seed Company Ltd

Syed Osman Bokhari, Commercial Director, Western Seed Company Ltd

Kenya Seed Company Ltd, Kitale

Alfred Busolo Tabu, Deputy Managing Director, Kenya Seed Company Ltd

Francis M. Ndambuki, Research and Development Manager, Kenya Seed Company Ltd

Andrew K. Ngeno, Processing Manager, Kenya Seed Company Ltd

Beatrice Auyabei, sales & Marketing Dept., Kenys Seed Company Ltd

Caritas Regional Centre in Embu, silo workshop and farmers

Alexander Mati, Development Coordinator, Caritas regional centre

Jackson Kinyua Njana, Livelihood Programme Coordinator, Caritas regional centre

(njanajackson@yahoo.com)

Charles Marangu/ CIMMYT regional centre

CIMBRIA East Africa Ltd Joergen T. Nielsen, Managing Directorof Cimbria East Africa Ltd

Engineers Without Borders, EWB-Kenya

Prof.Jared Ochieng Baraza (JERRY), Chairman of EWB-Kenya