Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
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6.2.3. Capacity Building
In order to implement the needed food loss assessments and then to support the development
and improvements of food supply chains, the OIC Member Countries will need to address any
gaps in local capacity to address on-farm food losses. This means building capacity in national
research and extension systems and advisory services.
There are many existing opportunities for participation in conferences, trade shows, workshops,
certificate and e-learning programs, short courses and study tours on food loss assessment and
reduction. Typically programs deemed as postharvest technology begin on the farm, with pre-
harvest considerations like harvest practices and water, fertility, and pest management.
Historically, the programs focused on agricultural production include cultivation practices, pest
management and harvest management practices that are related to on-farm losses. Sponsoring
food loss researchers and extension specialists from the OIC Member Countries to attend these
events and educational programs can be a low-cost way to build local capacity and network with
experts and field practitioners from other parts of the world.
TheWorld Food Preservation Center (WFPC) partners with 11 universities and research centers
to offer graduate programs on the entire range of food science, extension and innovative
technology for food loss reduction for all types of foods. WFPC university partners include two
organizations that are located in the OIC Member Countries. There are the Federal University of
Agriculture, Abeokuta in Nigeria and the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad in Pakistan.
6.3 Collaborative Efforts
Formation of an OIC Member Countries Working Group on on-farm loss reduction may be a
practical approach to coordinating future efforts. In order to build capacity for reducing on-farm
food losses in field level practitioners and farmers, the OIC Member Countries can offer any
number of practical, targeted educational programs, in collaboration with research and
extension institutions and international NGOs.
This core group can plan collaborative research projects, design and implement extension
programs and provide advisory services for their own countries as well as for the OIC Member
Countries that produce the same crop or foods products. The core group should be linked to
existing global resources, via internet websites including libraries and advisory services,
Recommendation 3: The OIC Member Countries should address gaps in the technical and
training capacity of on-farm food loss researchers and extension specialists. These key resource
persons are the providers of practical information be it written, oral, audio, visual, or online on
best practices in local languages for use by extension workers and producers.
Recommendation 4: It is recommended that a core group of the OIC Member Country based
resource personnel be developed, since they can contribute towards capacity building for
farmers and undertaking work on food loss prevention initiatives.