Kungula Thresh It is among the projects under incubation at Makerere University school of public Health-ResilientAfrica Network(RAN).It was selected under under the first round of resilience Innovation Challenge(RIC) and the Resilence Innovation Challenge for Adverse Climate effects(RIC4ACE) supported by the East African Resilience Innovation Lab.
Maize is one of the world’s important
cereal crops. In EastAfrica, the crop is a major staple food for a large proportion of the
population, in addition to being an important animal feed. The importance of
maize is centered` on the large quantity of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins
and fats, contained in the kernels, making it favorable as an energy source
with root and tuber crops.
In Uganda,
an estimated average of 1.5 tons of maize per acre is produced. Most of this
maize, in addition to being eaten directly as food, supports the local brewery
industry, where flour is fermented to produce many local brews.
Maize flour is also used to prepare a local
paste called posho, demand for which is on the increase. Posho is now
increasingly served in hotels and restaurants in several urban centers
including Kampala City.
Kungula Thresh it, is a new innovation maize
farmers should utilize in order to add value to their maize produce. The
project will improve post-harvest
handling of maize through substantial increase in output efficiency and
substantial reduction in losses, contamination and excessive physical exertion
that farmers experience with manual threshing and winnowing.
KUNGULA! Thresh It 2
Maize is one of the world’s important
cereal crops. In East
Africa, the crop is a major staple food for a large proportion of the
population, in addition to being an important animal feed. The importance of
maize is centered` on the large quantity of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins
and fats, contained in the kernels, making it favorable as an energy source
with root and tuber crops.
In Uganda,
an estimated average of 1.5 tons of maize per acre is produced. Most of this
maize, in addition to being eaten directly as food, supports the local brewery
industry, where flour is fermented to produce many local brews.
Maize flour is also used to prepare a local
paste called posho, demand for which is on the increase. Posho is now
increasingly served in hotels and restaurants in several urban centers
including Kampala City.
Kungula Thresh it, is a new innovation maize
farmers should utilize in order to add value to their maize produce. The
project will improve post-harvest
handling of maize through substantial increase in output efficiency and
substantial reduction in losses, contamination and excessive physical exertion
that farmers experience with manual threshing and winnowing.
 |
| Stephen Ssekanyo (L), Pidson Abaho(center) and Samalie Nakaggwe(R) |
Stephen Ssekanyo (team leader), Pidson Abaho
and Samalie Nakaggwe are the young brains behind the Kungula Thresh it project
which was selected
under the first round of the Resilience Innovation Challenge (RIC) and the Resilience Innovation
Challenge 4 Adverse Climate Effects (RIC4ACE) supported by the Eastern Africa Resilience Innovation
Lab.
The project was on boarded by ResilientAfrica Network after
realizing they had sound technical plausibility, innovativeness
and the highest potential for social impact if scaled. The team has also
carried out need finding related to the human centered design approach at RAN.
Kungula Thresh it project grew out of the
recognition that the maize seed reaches out to a wide audience and it is part
of our day to day meals. “We started
consuming maize way back in school, in fact it’s our daily meal while at
school” echoes Stephen.
It’s
exciting and overwhelming how the team hopes to shift maize farmers from traditional practices
where maize was hit by sticks to a mechanized process using both the manual and
motorized thresher that the team has so far managed to implement.
The amazing feature about this prototype
which will cost only 20 dollars is the fact that it is cheap and simple since
it requires less effort. The thresher that aims at targeting even the lowest
farmer will also be able to withstand weather disasters and post- harvest
handling as explained in the video.
VIDEO
According to Stephen, the invention of the
project is accorded to all team members,“Every member in the group has a
special tick to the invention of the project,” says Stephen. They were
initially inspired by the difficulties maize farmers go through while threshing
maize and were thus prompted to come up with this project that will improve grain
threshing efficiency.
Just like any new project the team is
experiencing a number of challenges in implementing the proto type. “Most
of the challenges come up when we go to the field; some farmers are not willing
to welcome this new innovation,” explains Stephen
However the team hopes to overcome these challenges in the final stages of implementation and looks forward to making a universal thresher that will be able to thresh all traditional crops including millet and sorghum.
However the team hopes to overcome these challenges in the final stages of implementation and looks forward to making a universal thresher that will be able to thresh all traditional crops including millet and sorghum.
Both the manual and motorized threshers the can be used in the
following easy steps.
Manual
thresher.
The proposed mode of use involves the operator holding the maize
cob (load) into the feeding crevice or intrusion while “peddling” on the handle
to turn the threshing disc. This action while detaching grains from the cob also forces its
rotation within the threshing crevice to remove grain from the entire cob.
On completion, the cob is supposed to have moved through to the bottom of the crevice thus exiting through the lower outlet or gate. The threshing crevice is fitted with springs to allow for enlargement and contraction to accommodate various sizes of cobs.
On completion, the cob is supposed to have moved through to the bottom of the crevice thus exiting through the lower outlet or gate. The threshing crevice is fitted with springs to allow for enlargement and contraction to accommodate various sizes of cobs.
 |
| A sketch of the proposed manual thresher |
Motorized thresher.
Maize cobs are inserted into the feeding trough where they flow
into the threshing chamber. Here, a threshing mill splits the grains off the
cobs by repeatedly hitting them.
The cobs move through to the end of the threshing chamber where
they are expelled through the cob expulsion exit and all this time, the grain
sips through the perforated sieve in the first step of grading. Towards the grain exit channel, is attached the winnowing fan that impels air through the exit and the moving grain to expel chaff and dust through the winnowing fan vent thereby giving clean threshed and winnowed maize.
 |
| A sketch of the proposed motorized thresher |
(Achiro Jennifer, Byomuhangi Owen,Musisi Henry, Nalunga Winnie and Nuwagaba Kenneth )
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