The “post-harvest system” gathers usually all the technical activities implemented between harvest and primary processing of an agricultural product.

It is followed by the “processing system” which leads to the elaboration of food products (secondary processing…).

Harvest represents a major phase of the agricultural work reaping the fruits of the production efforts.

This first stage of the “post-harvest system” is important because it influences directly the quality of the later conservation of the products.

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Harvest

Early fonio harvesting time is eagerly awaited by local people, who will have used up their food stocks by that time in the rainy season.

The crop is harvested by men, using sickles. The women then gather the cut stems together in small sheaves weighing 1 to 3 kg, which are carried in baskets to be stored under shelter near their houses, to protect the sheaves from the rain.

The sheaves are piled into stacks on log platforms, to dry naturally in the sun before threshing. The platform is around 50 cm off the ground, to ensure effective ventilation and prevent moisture uptake from the soil.

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Fonio sheaf stack (© T. Meudic)

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Traditional fonio harvesting (© J-F Cruz, Cirad)