Determinants of smallholder farmers’ maize grain storage protection practices and understanding of the nutritional aspects of grain postharvest losses

IF 5.6 1区农林科学 Q1 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Food Security Pub Date : 2023-04-20 DOI:10.1007/s12571-023-01349-5

Patrick Ngwenyama, Shephard Siziba, Loveness K. Nyanga, Tanya E. Stathers, Macdonald Mubayiwa, Shaw Mlambo, Tinashe Nyabako, Aurélie Bechoff, Apurba Shee, Brighton M. Mvumi

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Abstract

Poor storage methods lead to high postharvest losses in maize, an essential staple in sub-Saharan Africa. Smallholder farmers’ knowledge and awareness of postharvest nutritional losses (PHNLs), practices regarding maize grain storage, and factors influencing use of improved storage protection practices were investigated in two districts in Zimbabwe through a cross-sectional field survey of 331 households randomly selected from lists of farmers’ names kept by local extension staff. A multistage sampling technique was used involving purposively selecting the study districts then randomly selecting the study wards, the villages and the households. Twenty eight key informant were purposively selected being officers and stakeholders working or residing in the two districts and involved in postharvest and nutrition issues. The most commonly used storage practices were the admixture of maize grain with synthetic grain protectant pesticides followed by storage of untreated grain in polypropylene bags. Highly toxic pesticides, such as Cabaryl 85 WP and Acetamiprid 20 SP, which are not registered for stored food grain treatment, were being applied by 14.6% of the farmers to protect their grain from insect attack. We developed a PHNL knowledge index that measured farmers’ nutritional knowledge and awareness of PHNL. Level of education and district positively correlated with farmers’ PHNL knowledge (p?<?0.05), whereas the opposite was found for farmers’ age (p?<?0.05). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that use of grain storage protection practices was positively related to farmers’ age, total maize grain production, education level and PHNL knowledge (p?<?0.05). Older farmers were less likely to use non-recommended chemicals to protect their maize grain during storage. Farmers’ education level and total maize grain production were positively associated with higher use of synthetic pesticides, while PHNL knowledge was associated with the use of traditional grain protectants (p?<?0.05). Training on grain storage management, especially safe grain storage protection practices and PHNLs, is essential to contribute towards household food and nutrition security.

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小农玉米粮食储存保护措施的决定因素和对粮食收获后损失营养方面的理解

玉米是撒哈拉以南非洲地区的一种重要主食，而不良的储存方法导致玉米的收获后损失很大。在津巴布韦的两个地区，通过对从当地推广人员保存的农民名单中随机抽取的331户家庭进行横断面实地调查，调查了小农对收获后营养损失(PHNLs)、玉米谷物储存做法以及影响使用改良储存保护措施的因素的知识和认识。采用多阶段抽样技术，有目的地选择研究区，然后随机选择研究病房、村庄和家庭。有目的地选择了28名关键线人，他们是在这两个地区工作或居住并参与采收后和营养问题的官员和利益攸关方。最常用的储存方法是将玉米谷物与合成谷物保护剂农药混合，然后将未经处理的谷物储存在聚丙烯袋中。14.6%的农民使用未登记的储粮处理剧毒农药，如Cabaryl 85 WP和Acetamiprid 20 SP，以保护他们的粮食不受虫害侵害。我们开发了一个PHNL知识指数来衡量农民的营养知识和PHNL的意识。教育程度和地区与农民PHNL知识呈正相关(p?<?0.05)，年龄与农民PHNL知识呈正相关(p?<?0.05)。多项logistic回归分析显示，农户的年龄、玉米粮食总产量、文化程度、PHNL知识水平与粮仓保护措施的使用呈正相关(p <?0.05)。年龄较大的农民不太可能使用不推荐的化学品来保护他们的玉米谷物在储存期间。农民受教育程度和玉米总产量与合成农药的使用呈正相关，而PHNL知识与传统谷物保护剂的使用呈正相关(p <?0.05)。粮食储存管理方面的培训，特别是安全粮食储存保护做法和PHNLs方面的培训，对于促进家庭粮食和营养安全至关重要。

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来源期刊

Food Security FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY-

CiteScore

14.00

自引率

6.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Food Security is a wide audience, interdisciplinary, international journal dedicated to the procurement, access (economic and physical), and quality of food, in all its dimensions. Scales range from the individual to communities, and to the world food system. We strive to publish high-quality scientific articles, where quality includes, but is not limited to, the quality and clarity of text, and the validity of methods and approaches. Food Security is the initiative of a distinguished international group of scientists from different disciplines who hold a deep concern for the challenge of global food security, together with a vision of the power of shared knowledge as a means of meeting that challenge. To address the challenge of global food security, the journal seeks to address the constraints - physical, biological and socio-economic - which not only limit food production but also the ability of people to access a healthy diet. From this perspective, the journal covers the following areas: Global food needs: the mismatch between population and the ability to provide adequate nutrition Global food potential and global food production Natural constraints to satisfying global food needs: § Climate, climate variability, and climate change § Desertification and flooding § Natural disasters § Soils, soil quality and threats to soils, edaphic and other abiotic constraints to production § Biotic constraints to production, pathogens, pests, and weeds in their effects on sustainable production The sociological contexts of food production, access, quality, and consumption. Nutrition, food quality and food safety. Socio-political factors that impinge on the ability to satisfy global food needs: § Land, agricultural and food policy § International relations and trade § Access to food § Financial policy § Wars and ethnic unrest Research policies and priorities to ensure food security in its various dimensions.