Call for Partnership Concept Papers: Scaling of Hermetic Post Harvest Storage Technologies among Smallholder Farmers
Current Closing Date for Applications: May 08, 2020
Post-harvest loss is a critical issue facing farmers and food insecure populations globally, including in those countries most affected by humanitarian crises and in which OFDA operates.
While post-harvest losses occur at various stages of the supply chain, including at harvesting, threshing/cleaning, drying, storage, transportation, and milling, on-farm storage losses are the most significant. This last category of losses is caused by the use of storage methods and structures which fail to maintain grain quality because they are not pest-proof and do not prevent the accumulation of moisture on the top or bottom of the structure. Hermetic (air-tight) post-harvest grain and seed storage however, have been shown in many situations to be superior to any modern or traditional practices that do not create a hermetic environment for grain storage.
Last-mile connections of vendors to farmers is a persistent bottleneck to hermetic storage scaling. Even when the awareness of this technology has been developed, and a demonstrated demand for these products among farmer-consumers has been created, adoption is hampered by multiple factors. OFDA wants to continue to look at financial mechanisms that can help farmers better access hermetic storage, and more particularly, to have better cash flow to more optimally utilize these technologies.
The specific, primary objective of this Addendum is: Scaling postharvest hermetic storage by identifying finance mechanisms to accelerate adoption and use of hermetic postharvest storage technologies among smallholder farmers. Related objectives include the following:
- Create or sustain demand for hermetic storage bags
- Enable households to effectively use such technologies through improved postharvest cash flow and longer periods of hermetic grain storage
- Leave a market-viable mechanism for farm households to continue to access hermetic technologies once the donor-funded activity is completed
USAID anticipates allocating up to $500,000 over the next fiscal year to contribute to one partnership.
Before submitting a Concept Paper, prospective applicants should contact Joseph Dever at [email protected]. The USAID Point of Contact can discuss the extent to which a proposed idea is appropriate and aligns with USAID’s goals.
The completed Concept Paper Template (including the Concept Paper and required Supporting Information) should be sent to USAID/OFDA through [email protected] with a copy to [email protected].