More than 30% of stored crops by subsistence farmers in rural Africa are lost because of insects, mould and other problems. PPTL, in cooperation with Purdue University in the United States, manufactures a triple-layer hermetic crop storage bag called PICS (Purdue Improved Crop Storage) bags (see photo on the left). PPTL is part of the CASH-Tz project in partnership with the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank, the RuralUrban Development Initiative, Building Rural Incomes through Enterprises, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. Together, these development partners visit rural areas to demonstrate the value of PICS bags for crop storage and train them how to assemble and close the bag securely (see photo on the right). Although the bags are slightly more expensive than the usual low-cost bags, which last only a year and then do not prevent crops from spoiling, some farmers report that they have been using the PICS bags for up to five years. The project keeps detailed records of the number of farmers reached, locations and sales. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture contributes a dedicated monitoring and evaluation expert to the project.
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