Check out SIL's recent webinars on Data from the Pan-African Trials and Thresher Mechanization!
On July 26th, SIL hosted an informational webinar showcasing its low-cost, locally-produced and locally-serviced multi-crop thresher. Mechanized threshing is a valuable tool in the reduction of post-harvest loss in grains and cereals because it can allow quicker removal of a crop from the field, reducing losses from shattering or disease and reducing exposure to birds, rodents and adverse weather.
On many smallholder farms, mechanical threshers can replace manual threshing by hand beating, a practice that often results in grain spillage, grain breakage and incomplete separation of the grain from the chaff. Manual threshing is also a very labor and time intensive process that results in high human energy expenditure and a high rate of drudgery in the agricultural system. The introduction of low-cost, locally-produced mechanized threshing systems in smallholder agriculture can significantly reduce post-harvest loss in staple food grains.
For more information on these and our other events, please visit soybeaninnovationlab.illinois.edu.