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Post Harvest
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CTI Technologies Assist Ugandan Feeding Program
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Between late 2007 and early 2008,
CTI assisted a feeding program of the World Harvest Mission in Bundibugyo, Uganda.
This program was originally designed to improve the nutrition of young ones
(age 6 - 59 months) at the above location. This mission location, under the
 supervision of a trained nutritionist from East
Carolina University
and colleagues from the University
of North Carolina, began
using our Omega VI grinders to prepare a ready-to-use (RUF) food supplement.
When a rapid increase in the children's weight and health was observed, a more
detailed study was undertaken.
The high cost of imported ready to
use therapeutic food (RUTF) prompted attention to the use of a more affordable
RUF derived from local food sources. These sources provide micronutrients and
do not rely on imported milk powder nor commercial vitamins and minerals. Thus
a formulation of soy flour, peanut paste and ground moringa powder
was
established for optimum weight gain. The children were put into a
program of
weight gain measurements and the caregivers received a quantity of RUF
weekly. Samples of this formulation called BBB were analyzed
at Makerere University and compared to USAID food
supplements and a commercially available product (Plumpy'nut).
The  total energy, fat, protein, fiber and
vitamin C contents of this locally made formulation equaled or exceeded the above noted benchmark supplements.
In Bundibugyo, the BBB program is
evolving to increase the potential for long term impact based upon the results
of this preliminary evaluation. CTI is proud and delighted to be an on-going
part of this program to support those who are helping to sustain those in
resource limited areas throughout the developing world, where one-third of the
children suffer from under nourishment.
(The
data and photos contained in this article were extracted from a paper presented to THE
UGANDA NUTRITION CONGRESS, February 19th-20th 2009. The
title of the Congress was: 'The Challenges, Successes and Opportunities to
Improve Nutrition.' CTI's
contribution is recognized in this paper.) |
CTI & ICRISAT Grinder Training Workshop, Kenya
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Long-time CTI volunteer Kathleen
Graham was invited by the Nairobi-based International Crops Research
Institute
for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to bring her Ewing Grinder Pilot
Project to
farmers in far western Kenya.
Excited about the opportunity to test the Ewing III grinder in
Kenya and with a variety of crops, Kathleen
traveled to Homa Bay
on the shores of Lake Victoria with six
grinders provided by the Graham Service Fund.
There, she worked with ICRISAT's collaborator from the Kenya Ministry
of
Research, Mrs. Nasambu Okoko, a manager of the Kisii branch of the
Kenya
Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to conduct a grinder training
workshop. Participants in this two-day workshop included
representatives from farmers' cooperatives in neighboring districts and
local
agents of the Ministry of Agriculture.
CTI's
goals in this Pilot Project are
been to discover the acceptability of the Ewing III grinder among
Kenyan
farmers who are seeking to add value to their crops, and to learn
whether this
grinder is useful in processing the crops of far Western Kenya: millet,
sorghum, soybeans, cow peas, and "green gram" (which looks like a small
mung
bean). Mrs. Okoko noted that the
introduction of ground nuts (peanuts) to this area is recent, and the
participants
were curious and enthusiastic about the production of nut paste, which
is the Ewing grinder's most common use. While nut paste is a
staple in Uganda and
Southern Sudan, it is a new product in much of rural Kenya. The
participants reported they had recently
seen nut paste introduced in local markets and were keen to add it to
their own
income-generating activities.
The three primary objectives of
the workshop, held at the Homa Bay Agricultural Training Center, were to make
all workshop participants Ewing grinder "experts," to prepare all
workshop participants to comfortably train others to use the grinder, and to teach
workshop participants who received a grinder how to incorporate it into their
communities for laborsaving and/or income generating purposes. All participants demonstrated proficiency at
basic grinder assembly, processing several crops, disassembly and cleaning the
machine.
After the training, each participant applied for the six
grinders to be deployed to their respective communities. Each was asked to speak on behalf of their
proposal, and Mrs. Okoko assisted Kathleen in determining grinder placements because
all requests could not be accommodated.
Each group that received a grinder agreed to provide Mrs. Okoko with
feedback regarding the grinder's use and acceptability. At the end of one year, groups who have done
so will have the option to buy the grinder at a reduced price.
In addition to grinder training, Kathleen instructed participants on some
basics of food processing, nutrition, hygiene, and record keeping.
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CTI Mentors University of St. Thomas Students
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While many undergrad students from the University
of St. Thomas (UST) used their January term for rest and relaxation, at least a
few were hard at work. Senior mechanical
engineering students Cody Benoy, Rachel Willenbring, Jacob Thomas, Tony Caruso,
and Aaron Brooks devoted a great deal of time to their senior design project,
post-harvest Breadfruit processing.
Contributing to the team are CTI staff member Bert
Rivers and volunteers: Erv Lentz,
Ed Galle, George
Ewing, and Dave Elton. Over the course of the last year, members of
CTI have been instrumental in guiding and mentoring the students, both in the
project and the students' professional development. The project, which is the capstone class for
the engineering program at UST, will conclude in May with the students
proposing a solution for producing stable, high-quality Breadfruit flour in a
variety of locations throughout the world.
The solution will include documentation and instructions for preparing
the fruit in an expedient manner, as well as the design and production of
equipment used in the process.
In January, two of the students, Aaron Brooks and Cody
Benoy, spent ten days at the Breadfruit Institute, located at the Kahanu Garden
in Maui,
Hawaii. The two students endured fresh ocean air and
tropical  temperatures in order to construct and scrutinize equipment which the
team had designed at the university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Over the course of the next few months, the
students will, with help from CTI, continue testing, finalize their designs,
and determine sites suitable for initial field testing. The completed project will then be turned
over to CTI for continued testing and implementation. Ten beta
test sites around the world, where field testing can be conducted, are currently being sought. More on BreadfruitAs you may recall,
CTI has already been involved with commercial processing of breadfruit in Haiti. See article: Breadfruit Goes Commercial. |
Global Harmony Concerts A Success!
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| The
Global Harmony Benefit Concerts in February were a great success!
Over 700 people attended, which was Global Harmony's best attended
series to date. We extend our deep appreciation to everyone who
made this possible: the entire 120-voice chorus that volunteered five
weeks of their time preparing for the series (including CTI's own Ed
Galle who made the connection to CTI!), director Jennifer Anderson,
composer Ben Allaway, volunteers from North Como Presbyterian Church,
CTI volunteers, and Tom Crann of Minnesota Public Radio who donated his
time and voice to be emcee for all three concerts. The concert
series resulted in donations to CTI totaling over $16,000, a new CTI video,
and an increased interest in CTI from potential
volunteers!
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