Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
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Specific Recommendations
Seven specific recommendations weremade for reducing on-farm food losses in the OICMember
Countries, the first three related to domestic policies and the others related to collaborative
efforts. These recommendations relate to the identified research and extension needs and
advocacy issues.
a. Recommendations regarding the Domestic Policies
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.
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.
b. Recommendations regarding the Collaborative Efforts
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.
Recommendation 5: The OIC Member Countries should address gaps in the technical and
managerial capacity of national extension workers, farmers, fishers, ranchers and food supply
chain workers.
Recommendation 6: OIC Member Countries should develop projects to address losses in either
durable or perishable value chains. These ‘type projects’ should describe key actions, technology
packages and include budgets that could be used to develop projects on reducing losses in the
value chains.
Recommendation 7: OIC Member Countries should implement a cycle of competitive funds
where countries could receive funding for specific research and development projects to reduce
on-farm losses.
Implementing these general and specific recommendations will allow the OICMember Countries
to identify the priority focus areas in their countries, and provide needed research and extension
information on best practices for reducing on-farm food losses for key crops and food products.