Table 1_PICS bag adoption intensity in southern Tanzania: synergy of training and credit.docx

Postharvest losses in staple crops such as maize continue to undermine food security and farmers’ incomes in sub-Saharan Africa, despite the availability of safe and effective storage innovations like hermetic bags. Understanding how institutional support mechanisms influence the adoption of these technologies is critical for designing interventions that promote their widespread use. Among these mechanisms, training and access to credit play a vital role by helping to overcome knowledge gaps and financial constraints that often hinder the adoption of agricultural innovations. This study assessed how access to training and credit—individually and in combination—affects adoption intensity, measured as the proportion of maize stored in Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags, among smallholder farmers in Tanzania. We applied a multivariate inverse probability weighting approach and Tobit model to household survey data from 908 households in two regions of Tanzania’s Southern Highlands. Results show that 45.4% of households used PICS bags for maize storage. Access to either training or credit increased PICS bag adoption intensity by 15.6 and 12.9%, respectively, compared with households that received no intervention. However, when both training and credit were provided together, adoption intensity rose by 36.6%. These findings highlight the importance of integrating training and credit to increase the proportion of maize stored in PICS bags. Efforts to promote hermetic storage technologies should include improving access to finance through both traditional and non-traditional approaches to optimize adoption intensity and further reduce postharvest losses.

撒哈拉以南非洲地区，玉米等主食作物的产后损失仍持续损害粮食安全与小农户收入，尽管已有密闭储袋（hermetic bags）这类安全有效的储粮创新技术可供使用。明晰制度支持机制如何影响此类技术的采用，对于设计推广其广泛应用的干预方案至关重要。在这些机制中，培训与信贷可得性可通过帮助克服常阻碍农业创新采用的知识缺口与财务约束，发挥关键作用。本研究针对坦桑尼亚的小农户群体，评估了单独及联合获取培训与信贷对PICS袋储粮采用强度的影响——该采用强度以存储于普渡改进作物储存（Purdue Improved Crop Storage, PICS）袋中的玉米占比来衡量。本研究采用多元逆概率加权法与Tobit模型，分析了坦桑尼亚南部高地两个区域的908户农户的家庭调查数据。结果显示，45.4%的农户使用PICS袋储存玉米。与未接受任何干预的农户相比，仅获取培训或仅获取信贷分别可使PICS袋储粮的采用强度提升15.6%与12.9%；但若同时提供培训与信贷，采用强度则会提升36.6%。上述研究结果凸显了整合培训与信贷服务对提升PICS袋储粮玉米占比的重要性。推广密闭储粮技术的相关工作，应包含通过传统与非传统途径优化信贷可得性，以提升采用强度、进一步降低产后损失。