Top Reasons for Post-Harvest Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa

Date15 Jun 2022

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Top Reasons for Post-Harvest Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa: Introduction

The problem of post-harvest loss is one of the biggest challenges affecting economic growth globally as it largely affects global food security and long-term sustainable growth. It stands high on International agenda after the mid-1970s and 2007-2008 global food crisis.

Despite recording a high increase in global food production, the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) asserts that 1/3rd of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, representing a loss of 1.3 billion tons of food per year in a world where over 870 million people go hungry.

This problem also raises a barrier in feeding the global population with safe food as the world’s population is projected to surpass 10 billion by 2020, and which will require a 70 percent increase in food production.

Similarly, a World bank report published in 2011 revealed that, each year, large amounts of food are lost after harvest in Sub-Saharan Africa, value of which is estimated at USD 4 billion for grains alone, which is equivalent to the annual caloric requirement for feeding 48 million people.

This statistics reflects the magnitude of food loss encountered in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to the value of total food aid received in Sub-Saharan Africa in the last decade, hence, the need for a quick intervention in reducing post-harvest loss to improve SSA food security. Reducing post-harvest loss in Sub-Saharan Africa will not only increase the quantity of food available and overall access, but also alleviate poverty, increase agricultural productivity, and improve food utilization and safety in terms of health and nutrition, and reduce unnecessary resource use.

This article by Brickstone, reviews some institutional reports and publications on Post-harvest loss, its impacts and causes, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Post-harvest Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa

Post-harvest loss is food loss across the food supply chain from harvesting of crops to the stage of consumption resulting from qualitative loss, quantitative loss and the food waste (by the consumers) altogether.

Qualitative losses, which are more common in developed countries, include losses affecting the nutrient composition, acceptability, and edibility of a given product or food. Conversely, quantitative losses, which are generally more common in developing countries, are losses that affect the amount of the food, often measured in kilograms or calories, reduced over time and space.

Though a global problem, the challenge of post-harvest loss in Sub-Saharan Africa, where rural populations depend heavily on food production for their income and food purchases make up a large portion of expenditures in both rural and urban areas, is a serious one.

In SSA, the FAO estimate is roughly 37 percent or 120–170 kg/year per capita.

FAO estimates from 2011 suggest that as much as 37 percent of food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost between production and consumption. Estimates for cereals are 20.5 percent. For post-harvest handling and storage loss only, the FAO estimate is 8 percent, and the African Post-harvest Losses Information System (APHLIS) estimate is 10-12 percent.

Additionally, over 815 million people are chronically undernourished, especially in parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia, where 22.8% and 14.7% of the overall populations are undernourished, respectively.

All of these stresses the need to reduce Post-harvest loss in Sub-Saharan Africa, to create more sustainable and resilient food systems; improve food security and nutrition through the four dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization and stability; and reduce greenhouse gas emission.

Reasons for Post-Harvest Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa

The reasons for post-harvest loss in Sub-Saharan Africa are numerous, and driven by both internal and external factors. Some of these reasons includes:

Employment of Improper Harvesting Methods: Majority of farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa are not exposed to proper and adequate education on advanced agricultural processes and tools. They also rely on natural resources and processes. These therefore exposes them to the use of improper harvesting methods such as rough handling, untimely harvesting, absence and low adoption of established maturity indexses, and so on. According to the World Bank, PHLs were less likely to occur in households with the head having post primary education (not just completed primary).

Lack of Access to Effective Storage Facilities: Many storage facilities in SSA are in poor condition, contaminated or infested with pests such as the larger grain borer, or their capacity is inadequate to meet local production. This significantly contributes to the rate of post-harvest loss in Sub-Saharan Africa. Investing in the storage stage of the supply chain and adopting new and improved storage technologies can help reduce the food losses by capturing a greater proportion of crop production and improving crop quality. Reliable pre-cooling facilities and capacities must also be made available and improved upon.

Absence of Proper Packing and Packaging Technologies: Fresh products in Sub-Saharan Africa are majorly transported in unpackaged form or tied in bundles. They are usually placed directly in the trucks and stacked up together, with no cushion against impact and compression. All these greatly reduce the shelf life of such produce if not sold quickly, and thereby contributes to Post-harvest loss in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Lack of Efficient Transporting System: According to a report by IFT, wastage begins the moment growers leave their farms because their means for transporting crops are crude. This is frequent especially during the initial steps for getting them across the countryside to the locations where they can be staged for urban markets, all of which contributes to waste. Much care and improvement in the transportation system is needed to ensure food produce are delivered to the storage or threshing place in good conditions. This will largely contribute in the reduction of Post-harvest Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Unstable Climate Conditions: Climate factors, such as heat, humidity, and altitude, substantially increase post-harvest loss in Sub-Saharan Africa, as Africa is most vulnerable to climate change and its impacts. This contributes to PHL at all stages in the food supply chain from the moment of harvesting, to handling, storage, processing and marketing, as well as outside of the chain. Urgent and efficient climate actions are required to improve climate conditions and its impacts.

Conclusion

Access to safe food remains a critical issue in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is projected to exacerbate as the Sub-Saharan African population is predicted to double by 2050.

Despite the improvement in food production, post-harvest loss in the Sub-Saharan Africa remains an hindrance in the promotion of food security: availability, access, utilization and stability, thereby raising the need for investment in PHL reduction. Provision of post-primary education, improved storage practices and transportation systems, efficient Infrastructures, and climate actions are necessary to reduce Post-harvest loss in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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