Postharvest Management Practices of Maize Among Smallholder Farmers in Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

Storage insect pests remain a major constraint, causing significant postharvest losses in stored maize. This study assessed farmers’ maize storage practices in southwestern Ethiopia. The results revealed that most farmers stored their maize in shelled form (74.8%). The type of storage facility used depended on the storage form. Nearly half of the respondents stored their grains for 6–9 months. Approximately 24.1% inspected their storage every two months. The majority of respondents identified insects (65.5%) as the main storage pests. Most farmers reported 26–50% postharvest losses due to pests. Poor storage facilities were cited as the main factor that aggravated infestations (58.6%). Chemical insecticides were the primary pest management method reported by most respondents (67.3%). These findings suggest that improving storage facilities could help reduce the highest postharvest losses along the maize value chain in smallholder settings.