PICS: Improving Cowpea Storage in Niger

Regional Open-the-Bag Event, Maradi, Niger Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) Project Cowpeas (also known as blackeyed peas) are a high protein food crop indigenous to Africa. They are very susceptible to insect damage in storage. Insecticides are expensive and can have health effects if used improperly. A safe and cost-effective alternative is storage in airtight containers. In most cases, the least costly air tight containers are heavy duty plastic bags. The PICS project is demonstrated use of the bags in villages throughout Niger and Burkina Faso in 2009. Farmers are often skeptical at first, so in each village several bags are filled with cowpea and sealed in a public demonstration. After four to six months of storage the bags are opened in a public ceremony. When farmers see perfectly stored, undamaged cowpea in the PICS bags they are convinced. More information on PICS is available at: http://www.ag.purdue.edu/ipia/Pages/PICS.aspx

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Purdue
• Agriculture
• Africa
• Cowpea
• PICS
• Niger
• Burkina
• Faso