Grain Tools

Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa lose $4 billion worth of grain every year—often due to a lack of adequate post-harvest tools.

We can save Africa's grain. 

CTI has developed manually-operated grain processing tools that could feed millions. 

Small farmers in Africa and throughout the developing world have only the most basic tools for processing their grain. With access to little more than a rudimentary mortar and pestle, many farmers lose 15-50% of their crops after harvest.

Pearl Millet

CTI's hand-operated grain processing tools can dramatically increase pearl millet farmers’ yields and incomes.

The three piece system is comprised of a grain stripper, thresher, and winnower that: 

• Produces grain 10x faster than traditional methods
• Captures more than 90% of grain–a dramatic reduction in food waste
• Increases farmers’ incomes 

CTI designed the system with help from volunteer engineers and scientists from the USDA, ICRISAT and the OneLab Initiative. During their development, the tools were evaluated by small farmers in Mali and Senegal. The tools were designed specifically for pearl millet, though CTI’s engineers are testing the system with other types of grains.

The first productions of the tools are being used by pearl millet farmers in Senegal, in a USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program being managed by the National Business Cooperative Association.

Grain Stripper With a simple turn of the handle, CTI’s grain stripper takes pearl millet grain clean off the stalk in seconds, with virtually no waste. Traditionally, women have to beat on the ground or in a mortar and pestle for hours, spilling much of their precious grain in the process. Output: 43 kg/hr pearl millet grain

Grain Thresher CTI’s Grain Thresher separates pearl millet chaff from the grain. The thresher can produce in minutes what would take women hours of work pounding a mortar and pestle. Output: 60 kg/hr pearl millet grain

Grain Winnower Farmers can fill a bucket of clean pearl millet grain in minutes using CTI’s winnower. Traditionally, winnowing is a very wasteful process in which women toss or pour their threshed grain into the air, relying on the wind to blow the chaff away. CTI's winnower uses a hand-operated fan to separate the chaff and other inedible plant material from the grain—enabling women to keep over 90% of their grain, nearly double what they can produce by hand. Output: 44 kg/hr pearl millet grain