Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
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information on on-farm losses in Egypt, Nigeria and Uganda, but were not comprehensive in
scope due to time and budget limitations. It is recommended that additional data be collected on
on-farm losses for the crops and animal foods of highest interest to the OIC Member Countries.
The OIC Member Countries can offer to lead similar loss assessments and/or can participate in
FAO-sponsored food loss assessment case studies. Currently the SAVE FOOD Initiative is
working on case studies in Uganda for maize, Burkina Faso for dry beans, and Indonesia for
fisheries, which include assessment of on-farm losses. Many more case studies are being
planned, and the crops and foods of key importance to the OIC Member Countries such as wheat,
rice, tomatoes, potatoes, milk, meats and eggs could become a part of these studies at little or no
cost. The SAVE FOOD Initiative is developing food loss assessment training manuals and e-
courses that will be available online in several languages.
6.2.2. Investments in Upgrading the Food Supply Chain
Agricultural investments can take many forms, from providing improved infrastructure for
electricity and roads, to providing loans for better access to production inputs like fertilizer,
pesticides, and farm equipment. Furthermore anytime these investment shorten the food supply
chain by helping farmers connect more directly to the buyers, whether they are wholesalers,
food processors, or directly to consumers, farmers can benefit by directly linking with output
markets and reducing losses. They also will benefit by receiving more of the potential earnings
from their produce. One way to do this is through direct marketing to processors or consumers,
thereby reducing the number of intermediaries involved.
Nigeria provides an example of a potential direct investment by government in upgrading the
food supply chain and improving linkages between the farm and the buyer. Cassava on-farm
losses as reported in the case study conducted for this report (see Section 3) were very lowwhen
compared to the global average, since the buyers came to the farm, supervised the harvest, and
immediately collected the produce to bring it to the cassava flour production facility. Nigeria has
mandated that flour include 10% cassava, which has encouraged more of these direct farmer-
to-buyer linkages to develop.
Recommendation 1: Each OIC Member Country (or group of similar regionally located
countries) should identify the gaps in knowledge and information on the levels and specific
causes of on-farm food losses for key crops and food products.
Recommendation 2: The OIC Member Countries should assess their local food supply chains
and determine when and where to invest directly to better connect farmers to buyers.
Shortening the chain between farmers and end-users will reduce on farm food losses and
increase the money that producers receive for products as middlemen are cut out, time for
spoilage is reduced, and potential risk from spillage and infestations are reduced.