Project overview

Saving Grains is working to create a mass market for hermetic bags in Ethiopia to turn food food losses into incomes for smallholders.
 

The problem

The vast majority of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia suffer high post-harvest losses due to inadequate storage. Hermetic bags are a proven a technical solution that is cheap, simple and profitable for farmers. Yet, widespread adoption in Africa has remained elusive for reasons unknown. 

Photo" WFP/Michael Tewelde


 

The solution

Hermetic bags have a significant impact on smallholder farmers and a clear mass market potential in Ethiopia. Saving Grains is working to identify barriers to adoption and address them through mass marketing techniques, supply chain support of the private sector and new retail approaches. By generating demand and supporting the private sector to meet that demand, the project will help bring about a profitable mass market for hermetic bags that eradicates post-harvest losses and improves smallholder food security.

Smallholder farmers with hermetic bags


 

The way forward

The project aims to: 1) test that hermetic bags are a mass market product in Ethiopia and that they have a big impact on smallholder farmers; 2) lay the groundwork for introducing hermetic bags as a mass market product (campaign strategy, channels, companies, etc.); and establish Saving Grains as a main vendor that can efficiently deliver market-based interventions.

Training smallholder farmers

To learn more about Saving Grains, visit: https://www.savinggrains.com

Last updated: 06/10/2022