A practical 10week short course that teaches how to keep crops market ready from harvest to sale. Using Ugandan case studies and hands on demonstrations, the course covers
low cost, high impact techniques for handling, drying, grading and storing cereals, roots, fruits and other commodities so losses fall, quality rises and farmers earn more. Participants leave with a ready to implement postharvest plan and simple monitoring tools they can use on farm, at collection centers or in cooperative warehouses.

What You Will Learn - 6 modules (10 weeks)

• Module 1 — Harvest Handling and Field Practices: timing of harvest, gentle handling, on farm sorting, reducing field contamination and simple drying techniques.
• Module 2 — Drying, Moisture Management and Pest Control: solar and mechanical drying options, moisture measurement, hermetic storage basics and integrated pest management.
• Module 3 — Grading, Quality Assurance and Value Addition: grading standards, basic processing (cleaning, sorting, packaging) and small scale value addition to increase market prices.
• Module 4 — Storage Systems and Warehouse Management: design of low cost storage, stacking and ventilation, hygiene, security and FIFO/stock rotation practices.
• Module 5 — Post-Harvest Loss Measurement and Risk Management: simple loss audit methods, temperature and humidity monitoring, contingency planning for pests and spoilage.
• Module 6 — Market Readiness and Export Compliance: quality documentation, traceability basics, buyer specifications and preparing consignments for local and regional markets.
  

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Design and implement a postharvest handling plan that reduces losses and preserves quality.
• Select and operate appropriate drying and storage solutions for different commodities and scales.
• Apply simple grading and value addition techniques that increase farmgate and market prices.
• Run a basic warehouse or collection center with hygiene, security and stock rotation controls.
• Measure postharvest losses and apply corrective actions to improve yields to market.
• Prepare produce to meet buyer and export requirements, including basic traceability and documentation.

Impact

Adopting the practices taught in this course typically reduces postharvest losses, increases the proportion of saleable produce and raises incomes for farmers and cooperatives. Improved quality and traceability open access to higher value local and regional markets and strengthen food security in supply chains.

Who Can Apply

• Smallholder farmer leaders and cooperative managers.
• Warehouse and collection center supervisors.
• Agribusiness staff involved in procurement, quality control or logistics.
• Extension officers, NGO field staff and Agri-tech entrepreneurs.

Delivery Model:

• Blended: four practical field workshops (drying and storage demos) + weekly online microlessons.
• Hands-on labs: moisture testing, hermetic bag trials and simple processing demonstrations.
• Toolkits: checklists for drying, storage SOPs, loss audit templates and buyer specification checklists.
• Applied assessment: submit a postharvest improvement plan for a farm or collection center.

Cost and Duration

• Tuition (Standard): UGX 550,000
• Tuition (Intensive): UGX 750,000
• Duration (Standard): 10 weeks
• Duration (Intensive): 6 weeks
• Study Load: 4 hours per week