Abstract

Sorghum is the most popular cereal of Botswana. Over the last two decades, however, there has been a shift away from sorghum toward maize consumption as traditional processing of sorghum is time consuming and laborious. The objectives of this project are to develop and manufacture small village-style decorticators, based on the dehuller design used in Botswana and Nigeria; to test the performance and economic feasibility of small sorghum-milling systems; and to determine the acceptance of these mills by the village communities and their influence upon sorghum demand and use.

Post-Project Summary

This phase, carried out from 1978-80, established batch milling technology in the villages of Kanye and Gabane. Three scaled-down prototypes based on the dehuller tested at Pitsane in phase I were constructed by the Rural Industries Innovation Centre (RIIC). Two dehullers were set up in Kanye and workers alternated testing with service milling for villagers. The third dehuller was installed in Gabane and a milling system was made operational. Technical evaluations were conducted and equipment changes and improvements were identified. The new technology was well accepted by villagers and researchers found the equipment to be technically and economically viable. One of the prototypes was found to be suitable for distribution and demands for the system resulted in the manufacture and installation of 10 dehullers by the RIIC. Repairs and after-sales service were also available. A handbook for mill operators and potential owners of sorghum milling equipment was written. Research was carried to a third phase.

Recipient Institution(s)