Weevils

6th August 2018:

Weevils can destroy up to a quarter of stored Maize grain if not treated.

The regular treatment in Malawi is a noxious chemical.

Our solution is to use the ground-up leaves of local nitrogen fixing plant called Tephrosia.

The dried leaves are are ground to a fine powder and added to the maize.

This kills the weevils and protects the harvest and what’s better is it’s toxic effect lasts only about 4 days, and is easily washed out before cooking.

However the chemical product is noxious and possibly carcinogenic.

I wonder why these guys have their air filters: maybe the fine powder?

Even though they are breathing and eating more toxic stuff each day, it’s a good plan.