Preventing Postharvest Losses from Field to Market: A Food Security Imperative
Event Information
Estimates suggest that one-third of agricultural production is wasted and does not reach food consumers. If portions of that lost production could be preserved and used by consumers, food supply would be increased. At the same time, resources (arable land, water and energy) would be preserved with corresponding potential gains for smallholder farmers in developing nations. Postharvest loss prevention, therefore, offers an important opportunity to advance world food security now and in the future.
However, postharvest loss is a complex problem. The amount of loss differs between crops, geographies, growing conditions, and along the supply chain. It is difficult to generate a comprehensive view of the extent of postharvest loss because available information is limited. Thus, preventing postharvest loss requires innovations in measuring the extent of postharvest loss, developing appropriate technologies, integrating systems, and evaluating policy, as well as effective transfer of information and education.
At this seminar the presenters addressed postharvest loss prevention from the perspective of the USAID Bureau for Food Security and discussed the experiences of GrainPro and the ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss in approaching this complicated issue.
Featured Webinar Contributor
Bob Rabatsky, Director of Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation. Bob participated in the webinar chat and answered questions from online participants and shared lessons he has learned in his 25 years of experience designing, managing, and evaluating USAID and multilateral economic development programs in African, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.
Speakers
John Bowman
USAID BFS
Philippe Villers
GrainPro
Steve Sonka
University of Illinois