. 2021 Jul 31;9(10):5435–5447. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.2502

TABLE 3.

Practices of the caregivers toward mycotoxins management in Kerio Valley, Elgeyo Marakwet County

Administrative wards
Households postharvest practices	Total (n = 353)		Emsoo (n = 118)		Endo (n = 117)		Arror (n = 118)		χ² value	P‐value
Households postharvest practices	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	χ² value	P‐value
1. Dried sorghum after harvest? Yes	310	87.8	100	84.7	102	87.2	108	91.5	2.602	0.272
2. Drying duration
<7 days	36	11.6	4	4.0	8	7.8	24	22.2	20.807	0.001^*
7 days	243	78.4	82	82.0	86	84.3	75	69.4
>7days	31	10.0	14	14.0	8	7.8	9	8.3
3. Drying on;
Bare grounds	199	64.0	67	67.0	57	55.9	75	68.8	15.157	0.004^*
Canvas	103	33.1	33	33.0	37	36.3	33	30.3
Others (Concrete asphalt, rock surface)	9	2.9	0	‐	8	7.8	1	0.9
4. Methods of checking grains dryness									3.053	0.802
Traditional methods
Looking at it	87	24.6	27	22.9	27	23.1	33	28.0
Squeezing/touching	85	24.1	29	24.6	29	24.8	27	22.9
Biting	180	51.0	62	52.5	60	51.3	58	49.2
Listening to the sound when winnowing	1	0.3	0	0.0	1	0.9	0	0.0
Modern method
Moisture meter	0	‐	‐	‐	‐	‐	‐	‐
5. Threshing method used
Hand threshing	340	96.3	116	98.3	114	97.4	110	93.0	4.918	0.086
Use machine/thresher	13	3.7	2	1.7	3	2.6	8	6.8
6. Removed spoilt panicles before threshing? Yes	353	100	118	100	117	100	118	100	‐	‐
7. Suspect fungal contamination in grains based on;
Grains discoloration	265	81.8	85	79.4	80	73.4	100	92.6	‐	‐
Off‐smell	152	46.9	56	52.3	38	34.9	58	53.7
Bitter taste	3	0.9	3	2.8	1	0.9	0	0
I do not know	4	1.2	2	1.9	1	0.9	0	0
8. Use of spoilt grains
Thrown away	114	32.3	32	27.1	47	40.2	35	29.7	18.357	0.019^*
Feed livestock	183	51.8	61	51.7	55	47.0	67	56.8
Making local brew	48	13.6	19	16.1	14	12.0	15	12.7
Re‐dry and consume	6	1.7	6	5.1	0	0.0	0	0.0
Sell	2	0.6	0	0.0	1	0.9	1	0.9
9. Other practices before storage of sorghum grains? Yes
Grains sorting	111	41.0	33	33.3	37	40.2	42	50.6	‐	‐
Winnowing after threshing	227	83.8	74	77.1	78	84.8	75	90.4	‐	‐
Cleaning of storage area	59	21.8	16	16.7	20	21.7	23	27.7	‐	‐
Fumigation of storage area	19	7.0	6	6.3	6	6.5	7	8.4	‐	‐
10. Type of store used
Traditional store	285	52.4	53	44.9	61	52.1	71	60.2	11.267	0.080
Modern store	18	5.1	6	5.1	3	2.6	9	7.6
Living room with improved structure	37	10.5	17	14.4	12	10.3	8	6.8
Living room without improved structure	131	32.0	42	35.6	41	35.0	30	25.4
11. Type of storage bags used
Gunny bags	94	26.6	47	39.8	28	23.9	19	16.1	40.828	0.001^*
Hermetic bags	227	64.3	51	43.2	80	68.4	96	81.41
Sisal bags	23	6.5	14	11.9	7	6.0	2	0.7
Placed bundle of grains on the bare floor (No use of bags)	9	2.5	6	5.1	2	1.7	1	0.8
12. Stacking of storage bags
On wood pallets	207	58.6	59	50.0	64	54.7	84	71.2	16.396	0.012^*
On the floor	131	37.1	52	44.1	48	41.0	31	26.3
On the stones	6	1.7	1	0.8	3	2.6	2	1.7
13. Duration of grains storage
0–6 months	235	66.6	71	65.3	84	71.8	74	62.7	3.316	0.314
More than 6 months	118	33.4	41	34.7	32	28.2	44	37.3
14. Sorghum flour storage material
Plastic bucket	265	75.1	66	55.9	99	84.6	100	84.7	36.830	0.001^*
Gunny bag	63	17.8	39	33.1	10	11.9	14	11.9
Others (Khaki bag, animal skin bag)	25	7.1	13	11.0	8	6.8	4	3.4
15. Duration of flour storage
Less than 7 days	319	90.4	100	84.7	104	88.9	115	97.5	11.393	0.003^*
More than 7 days	34	9.6	18	15.3	13	11.6	3	2.5
16. Ferment sorghum flour (Yes)	140	39.7	52	44.1	41	35.0	47	39.8	2.002	0.368
17. Attended training on IYC (Yes)	36	10.2	12	10.2	7	6.0	17	14.4	4.552	0.103
18. Mycotoxins contamination was part of the training (Yes)	9	25.7	‐	‐	6	85.7	3	18.8	17.752	0.001^*
Practices score
Poor	266	75.4	102	86.4	84	71.8	80	70.8	12.237	0.002*
Good	87	24.6	16	13.6	33	28.2	38	32.2

p <.05 significant by chi‐square test.