Protecting Food During a Global Crisis

By Gilbert Namwonja

In the arid and semiarid regions of Kenya, drought is the first obstacle farmers need to overcome. If they're lucky enough to harvest a crop—however small—they then face another natural threat: weevils, rodents and mites that can destroy as much as 30 percent of their grain stores.

But a number of farmers in Kenya are now smiling. With the help of Catholic Relief Services and Church partners, they have a new weapon to guard against loss. Simple but highly effective metal silos for storing grain enable farmers to protect their precious harvests.

Keeping Corn Out of Weevils' Reach

The metal silo project in Kenya worked with farmer groups in five dioceses. The project improved food security for farmers by minimizing grain losses resulting from pests, poor storage and even theft.

Farmers in each of the dioceses evaluated various metal silos to determine the design that worked best for their needs. Group members were also trained on usage, including drying and sieving of grains, moisture content testing, and filling and emptying procedures. After testing the silos, the farmers quickly recognized their value.

"I like the metal silo because it keeps away rats and our greatest enemy—weevils," says Mercy Kariuki, a farmer in central Kenya. "The metal silo gives foolproof protection against these two enemies."

"Right now I am planning to buy a second metal silo because I understand its benefits," adds Juliana Musele, a farmer and member of a group in eastern Kenya.

Making Grain Storage Affordable

Metal silos cost from about $100 to $175, depending on the size. Farmers often consider them too expensive until they see the benefits.

To increase interest and help farmers acquire silos, the project introduced a savings and credit plan, particularly to assist the poorest members of the community. Partner dioceses allow project participants who put down 40 percent of a silo's cost to take out a loan for the remaining 60 percent. Some farmers who still lack sufficient money are now working to build sufficient savings to take out a loan and pay off the silo in small installments over time.

The project also trained over 60 local artisans to manufacture silos and sell them to interested farmers, schools and aid agencies. To date, more than 1,000 metal silos have been manufactured and sold.

"The training we received on fabricating metal silos provided a new skill and opened up a business opportunity for me," notes Maingi Mutinda, an artisan from the diocese of Kitui.

Now that farmers are facing rising food prices, families continue to order the silos. As the technology spreads, Kenyan families have more food to eat or sell, helping improve food security during a global crisis.

Gilbert Namwonja serves as CRS Kenya's information services unit manager. He regularly visits CRS projects across the country.