Post Harvest – Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI)

MAIN MANDATE OR OBJECTIVE

To generate and adapt appropriate technologies which facilitate the reduction of post-harvest losses and enhance the broad utilisation of food crops.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

To study the existing post-harvest systems and identify constraints faced by smallholder farmers.
To design and improve on-farm storage structures.
To evaluate insecticides and rodenticides for control of storage pests.
To screen/evaluate botanical grain protectants for efficacy against pests of stored grain.
To determine the level of resistance of food crops to insect attack in storage.
To develop appropriate methods of processing crops to avoid losses, improve their storability and enhance utilisation (Value addition).
To develop and promote Integrated Pest Management strategies for the prevention of post-harvest losses.
To disseminate improved post-harvest technologies to extension workers, smallholder farmers, and other stakeholders.

SECTIONS OF THE UNIT

Storage Entomology

Insect pests are responsible for enormous losses in crop post-production in Zambia. The section identifies storage pests that are found in storage systems of grain, studies their behaviour and recommends management and control strategies. To reduce these losses, the team endeavours to develop strategies that would keep insect pest at an economic threshold level by integrating several control techniques. One is studying a selected plant material with both medical and insecticidal properties, incorporating indigenous knowledge useful for controlling storage pests. Studies are also focused on monitoring the performance of conventional synthetic insecticides that are widely used for protecting stored grains in Zambia.

Mammology

Rodents (mice and rats) cause substantial losses to agricultural produce and the holding structures. The section studies the behaviour, management and control of rodents which attack stored commodities. The section recommends control measures which are based on chemical and non-chemical strategies.

Food Processing

The section aims to develop appropriate methods of processing perishable and durable crops in order to avoid losses, to improve their storability and enhance their utilisation.

Storage Engineering

The section is responsible for research and development of a wide range of on-farm storage structures that reduce crop losses due to pests and climatic elements. It researches various types of storage structures, besides, improvements on traditional storage structures using locally available materials. Recommends systems or practices for short- and long-term grain storage and handling which are cost-effective for control of storage pests, micro-organisms and rigorous climatic elements conditions.

Advisory Services

Quality standards in grain trade are important because they give an indication of quality requirements to producers, traders and end-users of grain. The team grades the maize grain quality based on induced characteristics parameters using standards approved by the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS). The team offers storage pest identification services and advice on appropriate control or management measures.

ACTIVITIES OF THE SECTION THAT ARE DONE

STORAGE ENTOMOLOGY
1. Comparison of the effectiveness of wood ash, sunflower husk ash and rice ash in controlling Sitophilus zeamais in stored maize.
2. Testing Cowpea varieties for resistance to bruchid attack in storage
3. Efficacy of plant materials against storage insects
4. Effect of combining neem leaf powder with a synthetic insecticide for the protection of stored maize
5. Dissemination of improved post-harvest technologies to extension workers, small holder farmers and other stakeholders
MAMMOLOGY
1. Distribution and importance of moles in Cassava and Sweet potatoes in North Western Province of Zambia
FOOD PROCESSING
1. Processing of millets into various food products such as cakes, scorns, instant flour, etc
2. Processing of fruits such as tomatoes, mangoes, etc, into various food products
STORAGE ENGINEERING
1. 1. Effect of various widths of drying cribs on drying rates
  2. Survey of storage pests being faced by smallholder farmers in the Southern Province of Zambia
  3. Effect of mixing different ratios of sand to clay soil for plastering mud plastered basket on reducing cracks
  4. Dissemination of hermetic storage technologies such as bags, plastic drums, metal silos, etc, to small holder farmers
  5. Dissemination of rodent cages to smallholder farmers
GRAIN QUALITY ANALYSIS (cereal, legume and oil crops)

ZARI is a public institution mandated to conduct public good agricultural research in soils, crops and water

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Address

Private Bag 7, Mount Makulu Central Research Station, Chilanga

Contact

Phone :+260 211 278130

Email : info@zari.gov.zm

Working Hours

Monday – Friday

08.00 – 17.00

Saturday

07.00 – 15.00

Sunday

07.00 – 14.00