Basic Knowledge in Agriculture #76

Greetings my dear friends and fellow Steemians. I am glad to participate in this week's contest, all thanks to @hive-118902 for organising and sustaining it. Here is my take on the subject matter "Storage".

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• Explain in detail the term storage
Storage is a term used to describe the technique or procedure of preserving or holding agricultural produce for future use. This produce can be used for sale, raw material or as food as the case may be and can be stored for short or long periods of time. For effective, safe, and long-lasting agricultural produce, the following measures must be taken before storage:

1. Preparation/Removal of dirt: Once agricultural produce is brought from the farm, dirt and damaged produce are removed to keep the remaining produce clean and to stop the spread of the damage to others.
2. Dying: Crops should be properly dry using the sunlight or other means before storage which helps in stopping the growth of bacteria.
3. Packaging: produce should be packaged in good sacks or containers to avoid being damaged.
4. Storage facility: Produce should be kept in a good environment considering the nature of the crops and the duration of storage.

Methods of storage
Here are a few methods of storage that I know which are proven effective:

1. Cold storage: This storage type has to do with refrigerated lorries, cold rooms etc to store items like meat, fish, and fruits etc. This system reduces water loss from the items and maintains their due quality.
2. Dry (dehydrated ): This is a method of storage where produce is kept dry to reduce its humidity and eliminate the conditions for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. Examples of dry storage are: barns, Rhombus, jerry cans, etc. It is worth noting that this method is suitable for long-term storage.
3. Bottling: This is another method where the produce is prepared and bottled. Recently, my wife grinded tomatoes, boiled them, added some preservatives like lime and bottled them for future use.
4. Canning: This is a complicated and scientific method where agricultural produce is sterilised and packed in cans using special machines.

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.What is the importance of storage in Agriculture?
Some of the importance of storage in agriculture are:

1. Storage makes food and other agricultural produce available all season.
2. Financial stability: It helps farmers to hold their produce and sell it when prices are higher to gain more profit.
3. Storage reduces the amount of food spoilage caused by pests and diseases.
4. Seed preservation: It makes seed available in the next farming season.
5. Storage helps in the supply of raw materials to the industry in higher quantities.

Conclusion
Thank you dear steemians and friends for reading this article and for your support. I invite @ngoenyi, @tammanna and @queenluv.

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@hive-118902

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