Post-harvest loss and food insecurity in Africa.

What is the issue?

“Food loss and waste is a global problem that negatively impacts the bottom lines of producers and agri-businesses, wastes limited resources, and contributes to climate change.” 1

Post-harvest loss can be referred to as a multisectoral crisis that needs a multifaceted approach to deal with its profound consequences stretching from a rise in poverty and malnutrition to an increase of healthcare expenses and lost productivity to educational setbacks and other socioeconomic impacts. 2

What is actually happening?

Degradation process of fruit and vegetables (physiological and biochemical processes)

Fruits and vegetables carry a large amount of field heat after harvest, with strong respiration and vigorous metabolism. Plant respiration will consume substrates, resulting in different negative effects, e.g. loss of water, amount of soluble fluids and sugar. Low temperature treat can effectively reduce the physiological and biochemical reactions of fruits and vegetables after harvest. 3

What are the consequences of post-harvest loss?

Consequences of post-harvest loss span from climate impacts to agricultural impacts to human health and livelihood impacts. According to Maher et al. (2024), the “Linkages between Agriculture, Food, Health, and Productivity form a Vicious Cycle Exacerbated by Climate Change”. Climate-induced conflicts over scarce resources like land, water, and pasture have significant implications in economic growth, poverty alleviation capacity, and increased vulnerability to global food supply chain shocks (Maher et al., 2024). Rising temperatures will also have a long-term impact on agricultural production and have impacts on livestock based agriculture. Additionally, higher CO2 is linked to declines in essential nutrients in crops, particularly protein, iron, zinc, and specific vitamins, which are critical for human health (Maher et al., 2024).