Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
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5.3.3 Institutional Supports
University faculty members and leaders of research institutions in the OIC Member Countries
must participate as stakeholders in planning and implementing research, extension and farmer
training programs. Formation of an initiative, such as an OIC Member Countries Working Group
on on-farm loss reduction may be a practical approach to coordinating future efforts.
Institutions must be able to help producers manage and adapt to changing worldwide trends
and understand the costs involved in selecting improved practices or technologies and decision
making strategies for making investments for reducing losses,
Efforts to create an initiative or platform would fit well with the efforts already being mounted
by FAO AGS, SAVE FOOD, the European Commission (EC) and other global organizations
including the Rockefeller Foundation, APHLIS, and BMGF. PEF presented on this topic in October
2015 at the First International Congress on Postharvest Loss Prevention in Rome, Italy, and
specific capacity building recommendations are listed below. Please note that the ongoing
efforts are on national programs, while the OIC would need to expand to the entire OIC
membership.
Recommendations to build capacity include:
 Review current status in the country;
 Select one or two focus crops to begin with;
 Assess needs of key clientele groups via participatory appraisals along the value chain;
 Assess training needs of extension/advisory service personnel;
 Make any needed investments and upgrades, and provide training opportunities for
extension staff;
 Plan and fund educational and outreach programs to provide extension/advisory
services for clientele; and
 Plan and conduct monitoring and evaluation.
Supporting institutions and agencies such as banks, extension and advisory services, regulatory
agencies, and local NGOs working in the field requires including their representatives as
stakeholders when planning and implementing research, extension and farmer training
programs. Input suppliers may require regulation to make sure inputs such as seeds and feed
are of good quality. Farmers’ organizations may need support to learn about organizational
management, bookkeeping, to gain technical skills in production and reduction of on-farm
losses, and negotiation sales contracts.
5.3.4 Education, Communication and Knowledge Sharing
Education is a very broad topic area, covering formal approaches such as trade schools and
universities and informal methods like extension and advisory services. These traditional
educational methods can be very expensive and can be left without adequate funding whenever
resources are limited.