or, more usually, carried on the head by women or children. The
maize was stored on the cob until the farmer found time to shell
and, occasionally, treat it. If it was not already dry, then cobs were
spread on the ground each day to dry in the sun.
Many farmers stored grain in traditional wicker baskets made of
lantana or papyrus reeds, with thick branch supports. Mud or cow
dung was often used for smearing the base and sides of the basket.
Traditionally,'when the basket stands outside the house it has a
grass thatched roof; when inside the house, it is left open. Some
farmers store small amounts of grain in sealed clay pots; some now
store in metal containers, such as oil drums or cooking oil tins.
The habit of storing grain inside the house developed because of the
fear of theft; though another reason could be the reluctance to give
it away to neighbours or relatives. Many farmers put their grain in
gunny bags which are then kept inside the house-often lying in
places where they can easily be contaminated by rats or domestic
animals.
Farmers try to protect their grain from rats by using poison, setting
traps or keeping cats. Very few in the survey group were raising
their storage units off the ground and fitting simple metal rat-
guards.
As for treating shelled grain for storage, the one traditional practice
was to use wood ash to prevent damage by weevils and other
insects. Some farmers were, at the time of Dr Mbula's study, using
recommended Malathion or Actellic chemicals-though a few in
the survey were found to be using such chemicals as DDT (which
has been declared illegal in Kenya) or pyrethrum dust. A few
farmers were using domestic aerosol insect sprays like "It" or
"Doom", which can have harmful effects on human health and
certainly should not be sprayed on foodstuffs.
What implications can be drawn from the information that Dr
Mbula has provided?
As the extension worker in direct contact with farmers, you
should study their existing practices-challenge those that
are harmful or useless, but see whether some of the practices
can be adapted rather than simply discarded. There is
nothing wrong, for instance, with storing maize in the
house, provided it is properly treated and kept clean.