East Timor Roofing Mini Silos

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1 East Timor Roofing Mini Silos Some statistics and information from Seeds for Life research. The majority (85%) of East Timorese people are subsistence farmers. The usual size of a farm is about one hectare, a size limit set by the absence of mechanised farming. A key crop is corn (maize). Corn is generally grown only once a year during the wet season, November to March, so the grain must be stored for 12 months from one harvest to the next. Because the farm size is small and yields are low (average 1.5 t/ha), most families do not harvest enough corn to eat from one harvest to the next. To make matters worse, because of the way the corn is stored, 30% of the harvest is eaten by weevils or rats. There are an estimated 180,000 farming families in East Timor. Depending on family needs, if every family had the equivalent of 600lt to1000lt storage, this would be more than enough grain to feed the family for 12 months and to ensure viable seed for the next crop. Research with farmers in East Timor has shown that by storing shelled corn in sealed, airtight containers, it can be kept for 2 years or more. Weevils cannot live or reproduce without oxygen. When weevil infested corn is stored in an airtight container, the oxygen content drops, and the weevils suffocate. The corn will still be viable as seed for the next crop. Any weevils in the corn stored in an airtight mini silo will die within 7-10 days. Opening the silo periodically to remove corn will not allow weevils to reinfest the remaining corn. 1. Each 200lt silo can store 180 kg of corn. 2. Without good storage, 30% of the corn would be lost to weevils and rats. 3. Having good on farm storage means farmers can plant for high yield and keep the surplus. 4. Farmers know that they can keep a surplus and won t lose precious grain to weevils and rats. 5. Good storage will ensure viable seed for the next crop. 6. East Timor Roofing mini silos are made of high quality Australian materials to ensure silo longevity. 7. Silos are made in 200lt or 400lt capacities with airtight, durable pvc, screw cap access openings.

2 Note to File Rob Williams 3 May 2011 Drum testing at Triloca On farm corn storage is a key to the development of corn farmers in Timor Leste. For a few years various groups have looked at affordable method of storing grain on farm, that prevents post harvest losses from rats and weevils. A range of options have ben tested with farmers. These include jerry cans, Super Grain Pro Bags, large community silos, locally made silos and 200l drums. The experience of these options have been summarized by MAF department of policy and planning, in the document???. Drums tested. There were three grain bins under test. These were a 200l bin with an inlet at the top, a 400 l bin with an inlet at the top and a 400l bin with an inlet and an outlet at the bottom. The field day had 2 objectives. The first was to seek a tetun name for the grain bins, and second to see the suitability of the drums for farmers. 400l bin with an inlet and outlet. Filling the 400 l bin from the top inlet. Program The program included explaining the objective of the day, two short messages about grain storage, a practical session on testing the bins, and feed back session and A total of 23 people attended the testing day, made of 3 foreigners (2 SoL 1 from CRS) 2 SoL staff, 3 local staff at triloca and 15 local farmers. All participants were male.

3 Outcomes. Group photo with grain bins in the centre. Inlet/Outlet Prior to the field day, one of the 400l drums was half filled with corn. Part of the practice session was to remove the corn both from the top and from the lower outlet. All participants were very impressed by the ease of removing the grain form the lower outlet. It was unanimously agreed that an outlet was a great idea. They agreed that would allow their wives and children to collect the corn without their help. Currently opening 200l fuel drums requires the men of the household to open the tight fitting bung. Scooping the corn from the top was possible, but they suggested that only from the top half of the bin, as their arms were not long enough. Again they asked if the outlet could be made to a larger hole to allow a larger utensil or so to fetch the grain. It was suggested by the organisors that there may some disadvantages with the outlet. This included that it made transport difficult, it was at risk of breaking if kids, and was something else to go wrong. The farmers could not see these difficulties being significant, and were sure the benefits out-weighed the risks.

4 Naming After a few discussions on the correct name the suggested name was Hokan Kalen. Hokan is a tetun word. A Hokan is grain storage container, woven from palm leaves. They can be quite large, up to 1 m tall, and 1.5 m diameter. It can be smaller that can be carried around, but is generally large and stays is not moved around. Since the field day I have tested the word Hokan, and it seems to work. Kalen, is a n additional word to distinguish the metal containers (Kalen means metal) from the palm leave storage vessels. Size The farmers appreciated the choice of size of drums. The 200l size is what they are familiar with, but they could see the value of the larger (400l) container. However, they were unsure if many people would have enough corn to fill a 400l container. They suggested that farmers be given a choice of size. Improvements There were 2 suggested improvements. There were some method of flow control on the outlet and a dipper with a handle. Throttle/ flow control The farmers did have trouble closing the screw of the outlet. It was easy to jam a corn seeds, and impossible to tell if am airtight seal was made. One suggestion was to add a flow control in the outlet. This could consist of a round shape piece of wood, that would be inserted and stop the corn flow before the screw cap was fitted. There would be many more elaborate designs of throttles, but the addition of the ability to stop the corn flow before screwing on the cap would be very worthwhile. Dipper with a handle. For the field day, some plastic 4inch dippers were improvised. However, they had no handles. A handle attached to a dipper could replace the need of the outlet, reducing the cost of the bin, and perhaps how many years the bin could be usefully used. Conclusion Farmers like the new design of grain bin, that can now be called Hokan Kalen. They prefer the most expensive option of an outlet at the bottom, as well as the inlet at the top.

5 Annex 1 ETR Mini Silo Prices April 27, lt Galvanized with Aquaplate bottom. Inlet and outlet. US $ lt Galvanized with Aquaplate bottom. Inlet only. US $ lt Galvanized with Aquaplate botton. Inlet and outlet. US $ lt Galvanized with Aquaplate botton. Inlet only. US $113.00