PICS Program Overview
Purdue University and partner organizations have led efforts to commercialize the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) technology, focusing on low-resource farmers in different regions of the world. Many government and development agencies, NGOs, and the private sector have trained farmers how to use hermetic storage technologies. Since 2007, PICS bags have been commercialized in more than 41 countries in Africa, Asia, Central America, and the Caribbean, with more than 22 licensed manufacturers and distributors. More than 70,000 villages and communities received training that reached an estimated 12 million farmers. From 2007 to December 2023, plastic factories around the world have manufactured and sold more than 50 million PICS bags to farmers and other users. The cash benefit to farmers has exceeded US $3 billion. Scale-up activities to increase the adoption of PICS bags have been implemented in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. These efforts have included (i) large-scale extension activities that included training of extension/field agents, and training of farmers through demonstrations in villages and markets, (ii) developing the supply chain by working with the private sector to ensure the technology is available in communities and local markets, and (iii) media activities – print, audio and visual (radio, posters, TV, cell phones, newspapers, etc.).
The PICS Program Aims To:
- Identify crops and other food products that could benefit from PICS technology.
- Test the technology through collaborative projects with scientists and partners in developing nations, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Analyze the potential economic benefits that the PICS technology can bring to different communities.
- Commercialize PICS bags to make them available to end-users, including small-holder farmers.