Farmers’ perceptions and their implications on the use of rice postharvest handling technologies and practices in eastern Uganda

Attempts to enhance food and income security among smallholder farming households in the sub-Saharan Africa region have focused on increasing production and productivity with limited attention to reducing Postharvest losses (PHL). Therefore, investing in postharvest loss reduction provides an opportune avenue for significantly enhancing food security in the region. This study was conducted in Eastern Uganda to examine farmers’ perceptions about use of postharvest handling technologies and practices. A cross sectional survey involving 150 household interviews and 83 farmers in focus group discussions was conducted. Results indicate that farmers had positive perceptions towards use of knife, tarpaulin and mechanized winnowing. However, 60% of the farmers’ perceived mechanized threshers and moisture meters as irrelevant. This implies that farmers need to be sensitized about these technologies besides addressing the barriers to their availability, accessibility and use. Noticeable proportions of farmers had favorable perceptions towards the bad practices of early harvesting (77%) and prolonged heaping (50%). These type of practices may continue into the foreseeable future. Efforts should focus on sensitizing farmers and customizing the technologies that suit farmers’ situations.