Design and Fabrication of a Portable Maize Sheller for Smallholder Farmers in Kogi State

Maize shelling remains a labour-intensive and time-consuming post-harvest activity for smallholder farmers in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. Manual shelling methods reduce productivity, increase grain damage, and impose physical strain, particularly on women who perform the majority of post-harvest processing. This project documents the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a portable, hand-operated maize sheller appropriate for use at the farm or household level. Drawing on existing mechanical shelling principles, the design adapts drum-and-spike shelling technology into a compact, ergonomically optimised unit weighing below five kilograms. Local mild steel and galvanised iron sheet were selected as primary materials for their availability in Lokoja and Anyigba markets. The sheller was fabricated in a local metalwork workshop using conventional welding and lathe operations. Field testing across twenty farm households in Dekina and Ibaji local government areas assessed shelling throughput, grain damage rates, and user fatigue using structured observation and self-report instruments. Results show that the prototype achieved a shelling rate of forty kilograms per hour with a grain damage rate below three percent, compared to twelve kilograms per hour by manual methods. Farmers reported a sixty-four percent reduction in perceived physical exertion. The project recommends subsidised distribution through Kogi State's Agricultural Development Programme and training of local fabricators for maintenance. This work demonstrates the practical value of design-led agricultural innovation for food security improvement. Keywords: maize sheller, agricultural design, post-harvest, Kogi State, smallholder farming.