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Men in developing countries often suffer losses of basic foodstuffs as a result of poor storage practices. It makes more sense and is economical to safeguard the crops that have been harvested instead of trying to make up for losses through increases in production.
For this reason the Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation (BMZ) sponsors programs aimed at improving standards of crop storage and post-harvest crop management. Such programs help to secure food supplies and sustain the traditional basis of life for the local population. Specific areas targeted for improvement include hygiene practices, the design of granaries and warehouses, and the development of alternative technologies for controlling storage pests without the use of chemical insecticides.
The small fanning sector plays a central role in the storage of food crops, and in recent decades significant changes have taken place here as a result of increased crop yields, the cultivation of new varieties that are often more susceptible to attack by storage pests than traditional ones, and the spread of new pests. These changes have diminished the effectiveness of established storage systems, as used by small farmers for many generations. Now there is a need to adapt traditional practices and develop new alternatives.
The knowledge and experience accumulated in over a decade of advisory work by the GTZ Post-Harvest Project has now been collected and summarised in the present handbook We hope it will prove a valuable working aid to all those responsible for the storage and protection of harvested food crops.
Johannes Christenn
Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation (BMZ), 1990