One Acre Fund field officers deliver training sessions to their farmers throughout the season. In August, when the product of six months of hard labor can be seen in the tall, healthy maize, it’s time for harvest and storage training.
When the maize is on the stalk, it is still filled with water, as with any ripe vegetable. If a farmer does not carefully dry her maize after harvest, fungus can grow and rot the entire crop. If the maize is carefully dried before it is stored, it is still vulnerable to pests, which can chew through storage bags and eat the maize kernels. The drying and storage processes that take place after the maize harvest are essential. Unless a farmer takes the necessary precautions to protect her maize, a grain borer or weevil can destroy the harvest in three short months.
In order to combat post-harvest crop loss, we teach our farmers a five-step harvesting and storage process:
1. Stook maize (let the maize dry while it is still on the stalk).
2. Dry maize on the cob in the sun for a few days.
3. Store maize on the cob in a cool dry place in the house for a few weeks to continue the drying process.
4. Shell the maize, then dry it in the sun again.
5. Sprinkle actellic dust, a chemical that prevents pest infestation, on the kernels and store maize in storage bags until ready to be eaten. Actellic dust protects maize from weevils, and ensures that farmers can keep their harvests safe and pest-free.
Using a substance to protect their maize is not a new concept for our farmers. In the past, some spread ash over their dried maize to prevent pest infestation. This technique only protects maize for around two months, however, and can lead to stomach ulcers when that maize is consumed. There are other commercial chemicals offered, but they are often expensive and ineffective. We have found that actellic dust, when applied correctly, protects maize from pests for up to six months. It is also relatively cheap.
While many of our farmers have used actellic dust in the past, they do not know how to use it effectively. This year, we have modified our harvest and storage trainings to include information on how to properly use and dose actellic dust. Our field officers are also selling packets of actellic dust and storage bags in the field, which allows farmers to save on transportation costs.
If a farmer uses actellic dust correctly, there is an immediate economic impact on his household. One Acre Fund farmers will harvest an average of 15 bags of maize in the main growing season, which is just enough to feed the average family of eight (each person will eat about two bags of maize a year). But if a farmer does not use actellic dust when he stores his maize, pests will typically ruin the whole stock in three months, after the farmer’s family has eaten only 4 bags. That farmer would then need to spend roughly 29,700 Kenya shillings ($370 USD) to feed his family for nine months, until the next harvest.
All of this money can be saved by spending 1,300 Kenya shillings ($16 USD) on materials for maize storage. That is a savings of 28,400 Kenya shillings ($354 USD) a year! If a farmer harvested more maize harvest than necessary to feed his family, he can store his maize until market prices are higher. For instance, in March, the market price for maize is double the price at harvest.
One Acre Fund is dedicated to spreading best practices at all stages of the growing season. Educating our farmers about proper storage practices increases One Acre Fund’s impact on its clients, but it also ensures that the hard work and financial investment our farmers have made is protected.
Irene Khaoya joined One Acre Fund in August 2008 as the bookkeeper for Chwele District, Kenya. Chwele District has doubled in size in the past year, and Irene’s responsibilities have grown—she now manages the books for a team of over thirty field officers.
Pauline Wanjala is a field manager in Webuye District, Kenya. She manages five field officers who serve nearly 500 farmers. She is also part of our fast-track management training program for talented staff.
As the rainy season in Kenya draws to a close, our farmers are starting to get ready to harvest their maize. In Chwele District, the difference between the maize of One Acre Fund farmers and non-One Acre Fund farmers is stark. At the beginning of June, one of Chwele’s farmers, Violet Laisa, stood on the edge of her maize field holding a baby in her arms. Her dark green maize stalks soared over her head, and they were covered with sizeable cobs.
Though she is raising five children and managing her fields, Violet also holds a leadership position in her group. In fact, she had already finished repaying her loan—a full three months before the repayment deadline.
Maize seed and fertilizer on credit is what One Acre Fund does best in Kenya. But there are many areas of the country where maize cultivation on credit simply does not make economic sense. In these locations, low rainfall and poor soil conditions virtually guarantee weak maize harvests. One Acre Fund wants to help smallholder farmers increase their harvests in these areas too, which means we must adapt our core program model to different crops and farming conditions.
One Acre Fund wants to reach as many needy farmers as we can, as quickly as possible. Our current districts in Western Kenya are each serving between 3,000 and 4,000 clients this season. At the top of each district, we have one extremely dedicated, highly competent leader – the field director. Field directors are the engines of growth within One Acre Fund, pushing the organization to reach even the most ambitious goals season after season.
One Acre Fund is the recipient of the 
Water leaks into the house, spilling down the wall and flowing onto the floor, adding to the small stream that cuts through the bedroom and sitting room in this small mud hut. Mary Martin, the hut’s owner, is surprisingly upbeat. “I’m not happy about the hole in the wall, but at least I can afford to fix it,” she says.