Post-harvest management is a major challenge in Kenya’s agricultural sector where the Food and Agricultural Authority (FAO) estimates that farmers lose between 20% and 30% of their harvest.
This post-harvest loss is estimated to be about Ksh72 billion.
Many cereals farmers in the North Rift Counties were thrown into panic mode when the Kenya Meteorological Department issued El Nino rains warning. The rain is expected between October 2023 and January 2024.
However, this is not the case for Ambrose Laibich, a farmer in Titimet village, Endebess Constituency, Trans Nzoia County. Aiming to contribute to addressing post-harvest losses, Laibich invented a maize dryer.
The deputy head teacher of Titimet Primary School and a graduate of Kampala University invented his manual dryer in 2018 and since then, he has never encountered any loss like previous years before the invention of the dryer.
Unlike conventional dryers which rely on electricity, Laibich’s dryer relies on wind power to dry maize. This makes it a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution to post-harvest management practices.
Persistent loss every harvesting season
In an interview with Uasin Gishu News at his home, the primary school teacher said his motivation came as a result of the persistent loss of over ten bags of 90kg of maize every harvesting season due to rotting of maize.
He conducted research and assembled all the necessary materials needed to actualize his design. The dryer which is strategically positioned in the middle of a store resembles a jet.
The head measures 10ft by 6ft while the wings are 4.5ft by 3 ft.
“In 2014, I harvested 136 bags of maize of 90Kg and I lost 16 bags. In 2015, I harvested 142 bags and lost 18 and In 2016, I managed to harvest 150 bags and lost 18 and in 2017 I harvested 160 bags where 22 got destroyed and when I invented this machine in 2018, I harvested 163 bags of maize and lost nil,” Laibich said.
The post-harvest loss solution is made using wooden frames, and strong wire mesh to withstand heavy maize loads and nails.
When he came up with the idea, the teacher who believes necessity is the mother of invention approached Leonard Kiprotich, a local carpenter who accepted the challenge and visualized the now useful idea.
“When he (Laibich) came to me with the idea, it first seemed impossible because I had never constructed such an item in my over five years of carpentry experience. I later accepted the challenge and this is,” Kiprotich said.
The dryer which has an air ventilator on the base operates on the principle of convection currents.
“The humid hot hair is the one that leads to the rotting of maize. We designed this machine in such a manner that the hot humid air which is light is taken out through convection currents and thus the maize cannot rot,” he said.
Helen Simotwo and David Kipchumba local farmers hailed the invention, saying it guarantees proper storage of maize and enhances the country’s food and nutrition security agenda.
“We have been coming here just to learn how remarkable innovation can solve the challenge of post-harvest losses. We desire to have such innovations because it is very affordable and does not require any specialized training to operate,” Simotwo said.
Homegrown solution
John Kibet, a youth, said if the innovation is adopted and produced on a large scale, it is going to address the challenge of unemployment in Kenya while mitigating post-harvest losses.
“Laibich lost 74 bags of maize between 2014 and 2017; this is a lot of money that can change someone’s life. If we had an improved version of this machine everywhere in this county, we would save a lot of money and create employment,” Kibet said.
Ambrose Laibich said he is planning to patent his innovation. He suggests the incorporation of the homegrown solution into technical and vocational training institutions so that artisans can refine it and produce it on a large scale.
In 2023, Isaiah Etemo Muchilwa, a lecturer at Moi University improvised the “Etemo Dryer” with the intention of reducing post-harvest losses by over 30%.
For the longest period, African farmers have been using traditional methods to dry and store their maize. More often than not, you will find many farmers and traders sun-drying their harvest.
In his last term, former Trans Nzoia County Governor Patrick Khaemba bought three dryers worth Ksh27 million with a capacity of drying 1,000 bags of maize per day.
The dryers were meant to dry maize to the required moisture content for storage.
