Reduction of post-harvest loss could have a major positive impact on increasing the affordability and accessibility of nutrient-dense fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. While technologies to do so exist, their financial viability for the firms that would need to adopt them has not always been clear.
Reducing post-harvest loss is one promising way to make nutritious foods more available, accessible, and affordable - all while improving the environmental sustainability of the food system. While viable technologies to reduce loss exist, they have limited uptake, particularly in low- and- middle income countries (LMICs).
SSCG Africa Agribusiness Summit 2021 will take place online on Thursday 28 January 2021. The theme is Accelerating African agro industry growth, productivity and value chain development; Tackling food waste and security challenges.
Food loss is a big challenge in Indonesia, with loss of nutritious fresh fish particularly significant. Indonesia is ranked second in the world for food loss1, suffering a yearly loss of approximately 13 million tons2, equating to 300 kg per person per year and comprising about 20% of agricultural crops and 30%3 of fisheries products.
In countries where the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) main offices are located, tomatoes vary in abundance - with the average supply from approximately one tenth of a medium-sized (60g) tomato per person per week in Ethiopia, to four medium-sized tomatoes per person per week in India, and up to 12 medium-sized tomatoes per person per week in the US.
Based on an external assessment, this working paper summarises PLAN’s work in Nigeria (N-PLAN) and Indonesia (I-PLAN), impacts to date, and key learnings. The assessment indicated that PLAN has helped create influential networks, allowing diverse stakeholders to work together to address common issues related to post-harvest loss.
The Jakarta Post webinar series will discuss issues of food loss and waste. Coinciding with the commemoration of the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste the webinar will feature authoritative speakers, including policymakers, representatives of nonprofit foundations and independent observers.
In low-income countries, poor dietary diversity is driven in large part by the low availability and affordability of nutritious foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and other animal sourced foods. In a recent assessment, GAIN determined that small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), or small and mighty enterprises as GAIN likes to call them, produce, process or sell up to 70% of nutritious food sold in low-income markets in Africa.
In 2016, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and its partners spotted a gap in postharvest loss interventions targeted to a) nutritious foods and b) working in the supply chain beyond the farm. The Postharvest Loss Alliance for Nutrition (PLAN) was launched in Nigeria.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every aspect of life, including how food is distributed, purchased and consumed. In low-income countries, consumers have had to contend with higher food prices and less fresh, nutritious food available to eat. While the pandemic has had a devastating short-term impact on all those who rely on local food systems, it has also exposed their underlying fragility.