A farmer standing near an automated maize sheller machine.
Weather changes are increasingly affecting maize production in Kiryandongo district through unpredictable rainfall, higher temperatures, and prolonged wet periods.
These changes can make post-harvest handling difficult for many farmers, especially when they struggle to dry, shell, and store the maize quickly.
The use of appropriate farm technologies such as the maize sheller is one practical adaptation. Instead of shelling maize manually, farmers can use mechanical shellers to remove grain from cobs faster and more efficiently, thereby saving time for other activities.
The machine allows farmers to process harvested maize within a shorter period, reducing the time that cobs and grain are exposed to unexpected rainfall and other adverse weather conditions.
For many farmers in Kiryandongo District in Uganda, maize shellers are additional sources of income, helping to reduce post-harvest losses.
This is the experience of farmers in Kichwabugingo Cell, Kichwabugingo Ward, Bweyale Town Council in Kiryandongo District, with a multi-crop shelling machine.
The machine is fast enough to shell maize from an average of two acres within two hours—a task on which many farmers would previously have spent several days working by hands.
Nunsura Nyandira Lawino, a farmer from Kichwabugingo Cell, planted the Longe 10 maize variety on four acres of land in March 2026 and harvested eight sacks of threshed grains.
Lawino used the sheller to thresh the maize in two hours, instead of paying to hire many casual workers.
“The machine is a miracle time-saver which has remarkably improved my health by reducing the physical strain associated with shelling maize.” Lawino explained.
Faster shelling means maize can be dried and stored sooner, reducing the risk of mold growth, pest infestation, contamination, and grain deterioration, according to Lawino.
“Properly dried and handled grain can maintain better quality and fetch a better market price.” She stated.
Lawino used the same machine to shell her ground nuts when she urgently needed to plant at the onset of the rain. She appealed to technology innovators to develop a sheller for beans to save farmers’ time.
“For beans, we still don’t have a sheller, so I still use my hands which take several days to complete,” she says.
Automating Farmwork
Betty Akello, another resident of the area, is a renowned maize, sunflower and groundnuts farmer. These enterprises have been her main source of livelihood for many years.
This year, Akello planted the improved drought-tolerant Bazoka maize variety on five acres, sunflowers on two acres and groundnuts on one acre. She harvested five sacks of maize, six sacks of sunflower and three sacks of ground nuts.
The harvests inspired her to use the shelling machine this year after years of relying on manual labour. The difference, she says, is satisfying and worth every penny.
“I spent less money than it would cost on casual labourers. With this machine, I can save money and time,” she says.
As smallholder farmers expand their operations, so do their production costs. Yet, automated technology can help address the rising cost of labour involved in harvesting, transportation and processing some crops.
The maize sheller also reduces the physical workload, particularly for women and other farmers who traditionally spend many hours shelling maize by hand.
Unity of Purpose
Organized farmers in Kiryandongo work in groups, making ownership of a maize sheller much more practical for all. Several households share the same machine, making the technology more affordable and increasing its benefits across the community.
Simon Komakech, the machine operator, also grows maize for commercial purposes. This season, he planted Bazooka on three acres and harvested six sacks.
In the past, farmers had to transport their maize home and then look for a shelling machine elsewhere, often paying high prices for the service.
“Some farmers used to crush their maize by beating them in sacks. Several grains would be broken and wasted. I used to hire the sheller from people who had them, and they charged me expensively.” Komakech explained.
Some farmers had to carry the bulky corn cobs home for kernel extraction while others stored the cobs unthreshed in bags. It means double work and more space for storage.
Among farmers in Kichwabugingo Cell, the machine is a time-saver, simplifying farm works and bringing much-needed post-harvest services closer to where crops are grown.
With such speed, farmers like Komakech can sell their maize while prices are still high, amid scarcity and strong demand, before most other farmers are ready to market their own.
Komakech has already sold his maize at Sh800 a kilogram, before middlemen flood the market and buy from other farmers at lower prices.
Going Industrial
In recent years, agribusiness processing has grown into big business for many farmer groups in Northern Uganda, thanks to the spread of solar energy equipment, an influx of cheap value-additive technologies, and the extension of the Government of Uganda’s rural electrification programme.
This is why Konya Farmer Group, a community-based group in Kichwabugingo Cell, Kichwabugingo Ward, Bweyale Town Council in Kiryandongo District, opted to invest in the multi-crop sheller as a pathway to industrializing its future operations.
The group, formed in 2022, has eight members- five men and three women. Bazillion Okongo is the group’s chairperson. He says they “initially focused on selling agricultural produce before expanding into post-harvest handling.”
In September 2024, the group purchased the multi-crop shelling machine, capable of processing crops such as maize, soya beans and beans.
Since it arrived, the machine has become an important service centre for farmers in the community, helping them process their harvests more quickly and efficiently while reducing the cost of hiring labour.
“The service is available to both group members and other farmers at Sh5,000 per bag, of which Sh4,000 goes to the group’s account and Sh1,000 is paid to the worker operating it. A farmer also covers the fuel costs for the tricycle that transports the machine to his or her garden or farm,” Okongo says.
The machine has different components for shelling crops such as maize, soy beans, and beans.
For Okongo, the investment has also changed the way he manages his own farming activities. This season, he planted eight acres of Bazoka maize and harvested 68 sacks. He also planted soybeans on five acres and harvested 23 sacks.
Before the group acquired its own machine, Okongo says farmers depended on privately owned equipment, which came at an additional cost.
“Before the sheller, I used to hire the sheller from other people. Even the tractor I used to hire,” he says.
Future Plans
However, the group’s vision extends beyond providing shelling services.
Okongo says that, in the future, members want to move into more extensive value additive activities so they can earn more from their agricultural produce. Their long-term plan is to participate in the maize value chain, from production to processing and packaging.
“We want to get involved in the maize value chain, from planting the maize to processing and packaging maize flour,” he adds.
Moving into value addition would allow the farmers to earn more from their produce instead of selling it as raw grain.
For farmers in Kichwabugingo, the shelling machine represents a practical step towards making farming less labour-intensive and more profitable.
What once took days of strenuous work can now be completed in a fraction of the time.
For farmers whose days are already occupied with planting, weeding, harvesting, and marketing, the hours saved by the machine mean more than convenience. They provide an opportunity to rest, spend time with their families, and focus on other activities that can improve their livelihoods
For the maize sheller to be an effective climate-change adaptation measure, it should be combined with other positive post-harvest practices, including timely harvesting, proper drying, clean handling, moisture testing, pest control, and safe storage.
Overall, adopting maize shellers demonstrates how simple agricultural technologies can strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate change while reducing post-harvest losses, improving grain quality, saving labour and time, and increasing household income.
This story was produced with support from InfoNile and edited by Maddison Erdall, Carbon Science Team Lead at Centigrade.
