Reinforced grain shelter

BACKGROUND

In many African and Asian villages, and also on the outskirts of medium-sized towns, elephants (Loxodonta africana, Elephas maximus) can make detrimental visits to villagers. The animal is said to have the most developed nose (Yoshihito Niimura, Joyce Poole, 2014) and the ability to identify the presence of attractive food up to a distance of one kilometer. During the dry season, when their usual food is only available in limited quantities, seeing elephants feed in crops and villages is much more common.

DESCRIPTION

In parallel with the dissemination of information to villagers on the most appropriate methods of storing food and beverages, we have produced, in two of our projects in Zambia, an educational booklet on the construction of reinforced grain shelters. These shelters mainly store maize and rice, and also considerably limit elephant incursions into habitable areas.

PRINCIPLE

The booklet produced by AweLy presents with simple texts in Chinyanja and English, illustrations that can help illiterate people to understand the main lines. An element that we took into account for all the educational booklets made in Africa, but also in Asia. The 14-page booklet therefore presents the material as the various stages necessary for the construction of the shelter.

CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS

- Importance of a construction in accordance with the instructions: a poorly constructed shelter may crack, allowing the incursion of termites and / or
weevils.
- The addition of a roof is recommended and its absence can weaken the whole in the medium term and destroy the benefits of construction.
- The grains removed from the shelter by the small door built for this purpose must be kept completely sealed in homes.
- Village involvement is highly recommended.
- Their participation in the construction is a factor largely favoring the appropriation of the shelter. Ensuring a good understanding of the need for its maintenance is also necessary.

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