Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
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vegetables, roots, tubers, cereals, and pulses. Many of the solutions focused on reducing on-farm
losses, including the use of ICT apps for distribution of agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and
seeds in Nigeria (SlimTrader), the use of plastic crates for collecting the harvest of tomatoes and
reducing damage related losses to less than 5% in Nigeria (GEMS4 project), Project Nuture’s
efforts to improve mango fruit production in Uganda, and Africa RISING’s promotion of
improved seeds and production practices for cereals in Mali. Mango farmers specifically have
seen their production costs reduced by more than half, and their marketable volume jump from
36% to 89% in just three years via participation in one project. The full GKI report “Reducing
Food Waste and Spoilage: Assessing resources needed and available to reduce postharvest food
loss in Africa” was published in June 2014.
In addition, key informants provided information on activities targeting reduction of food losses
in seven OIC Member Countries in the Arab Group.
5.2 Educational Opportunities
Educational opportunities for participants in the OIC Member Countries are being offered by a
range of private and public sector organizations. On the horizon are many more programs, to be
offered via the newly launched Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food
Loss and Waste. This web-based interactive platform, launched by FAO in December 2015, is a
repository of knowledge on measuring food loss and waste and will facilitate information-
sharing and coordination among a diverse set of key stakeholders such as international
organizations, private sector actors, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations.
Training manuals and e-courses are being developed for FAO by The Postharvest Education
Foundation, for cereals, pulses, roots, tubers, fruits, and vegetable crops, and for field
practitioners, extension workers and academics working with smallholder farmers in the
regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia/Pacific, Near East/North Africa and Latin
America/Caribbean. The technical platform will also reinforce current efforts to measure food
loss and waste developed by FAO and other institutions.
There are also short course or study tours such as the two week general postharvest handling
programme at the University of California, Davis entitled Postharvest Technology of
Horticultural Crops Short Course offered each June. This course is a two-week intensive study
of the biology and current technologies used for handling fruits, nuts, vegetables and
ornamentals in California. It is designed for research and extension workers, quality control
personnel in the produce industry, and business, government or academic professionals
interested in current advances in the postharvest technology of horticultural crops. It is
particularly of interest to technical professionals responsible for quality assurance, research and
extension activities related to fresh produce quality, safety and marketability.
There is a one month general postharvest handling programme at Wageningen University
Research Centre for Development Innovation (WUR, Netherlands), on Lost Harvest and Wasted