Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
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4.1.7. Summary of On-Farm Losses for All the Food Groups
Hussein in Kader et al (2012) summarized the major causes of on-farm losses for fruits,
vegetables, roots, and tuber crops in the Middle East and North Africa region, and many of these
apply to other food crops, food groups and regions of the world. There are many commonly
encountered causes of food losses, including losses during production, harvesting and on-farm
handling, which can be summarized by food group as follows.
Cereals
The main causes as identified by the key informant survey for on-farm losses of cereals are pests
on the farm these include weeds, and striga especially is one of themost notoriousweeds, insects
such as stem and ear borers (Chabi-Olaye et al. 2005), and rodents. The poor water management
and drought were identified, and this has been become more critical through climate change.
The last cause of on-farm losses is lack of proper storage facilities leading to high losses in
cereals, which have been documented to reach between 16.8 and 19.9 % for maize in Africa
annually from 2003 till 2014 (APHLIS).
Roots and Tubers
Similar to cereals, pests on the farmwere ranked as the top cause of on-farm losses for roots and
tubers, with rodents and insects cited as particular problems. Especially in Africa and lately Asia
some of the main insect pests, like cassava mealybug and cassava green mite have been
controlled through biocontrol. Poor harvesting practices such as roots and tubers being
damaged by cuts and bruises were leading to high losses. Additionally, many roots are left
uncollected due to small size and a shortage of labour. Lack of proper storage facilities was the
third reason for high losses as harvested roots and tubers, such as potatoes, sweetpotatoes, and
taro, need to be stored properly or processed within 48 hours for cassava.
Oilseeds and Pulses
For oilseeds key informants felt that lack of proper food processing and packaging was leading
to high on-farm losses. This is mainly canning of pulses and processing into. Also pests on the
farm, due to a lack of pesticides that enable the farmers to control the pests, and poor cultural
practices lead to high on-farm losses. Insects are especially known to cause high losses in pulses
and legumes, and they are also vectors for viruses.
Fruits and Vegetables
The main cause for losses of fruits and vegetables as identified by the key informants was poor
information and planning. At times this leads to a total loss when prices at harvest are so low
that farmers would rather leave the crop unharvested. Also poor harvesting practices damage
fruits and vegetables through poor handling and rough treatment. Lack of proper storage
facilities, especially those with proper temperature control, leads to high losses. Unfortunately,
very few countries have cold stores that are properly managed and accessible to farmers.