The Future of Smallholder Farming in Eastern Africa - Uganda ...

average amount of loss per household is more than 800 kilograms for Bako (where maize, the
most susceptible crop, is dominant). Also as can be observed in Figure 3, there is large
variation about the median in post-harvest grain loss in Hetosa and Bako, as compared with
Ada, again indicating the intercrop differences in post-harvest grain losses. In some cases, the
magnitude of loss even goes as high as 2,000 kilograms.
The respondent farmers reported to have actually lost large quantities of their produce to
various factors (Table 7a). The average actual loss per household (as opposed to expected
loss) was about 500 kilograms of total grain output during the previous year, which is
equivalent to 12 percent 30 of the average total grain production of the sample households.
Farmers in Bako reportedly lost about 700 kilograms of crops and those in Hetosa, 620
kilograms, due to post-harvest damage, while the figure for Ada was much less. Of course,
these variations reflect differences in cropping patterns among the three sites and, therefore,
the higher degree of susceptibility for maize and wheat than for teff. The reported amount of
loss is quite substantial, underscoring the importance of not only raising yield levels, but also
ensuring that all of the grain produced reaches consumers’ tables without loss. Hence, yieldenhancing
interventions cannot be considered in isolation from those that minimize postharvest
grain losses.
4000
3500
3000
Expected loss (Kg)
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
N =
98
Hetossa
100
Adda
99
Bako
Sites
Figure 3. Distribution of expected loss if grains are stored until the fourth squarter
Table 7a. Estimated grain loss during 12 months preceding the survey (kgs. by site)
Study Areas Mean SD CoV
Hetosa 618 438.6 0.71
Ada 237 308.9 1.30
Bako 707 1118.6 1.58
All Sites 520 744.0
30 Other studies (Coursey and Proctor (n.d)) have reported wheat loss (by weight) ranging from 8 to 52 percent
for India, 6 to 19percent for the Sudan, and 15 to 20 percent for Brazil.