As the African population continues to increase drastically, achieving food security poses a significant challenge to the continent. While malnutrition and undernourishment are decreasing in other regions of the world, it continues to increase in sub-Saharan Africa. However, In an attempt to achieve global food security, it has been suggested that food production would have to increase by 50-70% by 2050, with little attention given to food loss and waste along the food supply chain.
Food Losses On-farm and Post-harvest stages in Africa
In contrast to the developed world, food losses occur chiefly at the production and post-harvest stages closer to the farm gate. This trend is similar across most of the African countries. The significant loss in these stages has been attributed to climate change, pest infestation on the field and in the farm store, inadequate technologies, infrastructures and knowledge of handling agricultural commodities.
According to the World Bank, about $4 million worth of grain is lost annually along the food supply chain in sub-Saharan Africa, a region where the majority of the population are into agriculture. To start with on-farm production, farmers in Africa to a large extent are still not aware of the fact that climate is changing, this is seriously influencing crop loss both on the field and in storage. Studies have shown that grain producers’ harvest their crops with a moisture content of 20-30%; at this stage, the crops are prone to pest attacks. At that, harvesting manually by small scale farmers is prominent.
In Kenya, it was discovered that a hand tool called fork jembe, cut and bruises the potatoes while harvesting, damaging about 679 kg/ha. In the same vein, premature and late harvesting practice is common among farmers who are either in an urgent need of money or lack the knowledge of the appropriate time for harvest. After harvesting, food items such as grains which need to be dried before storage are lost in the course of spreading under the sunlight as they are exposed to birds, insects, and other pests. At this stage, 5.8-9.5% grain loss was reported in Zimbabwe, while Swaziland lost about 16.3%. Losses during shelling and threshing of grains are not significant among the small scale farmers as it is done manually, but breakage and spillage do occur with large scale use of machines.
An unacceptable loss occurs at the point of storage as well. Crops are destroyed due to mold growth after storage in cases where the weather is not favorable for drying. Between December 2013 and April 2014, Uganda and Burkina Faso recorded about 43%, 73%, 57% average loss in sorghum, cowpea, and maize respectively due to the use of granary/polypropylene bags which are not tight enough to hinder pest infestation. In Tanzania, farmers revealed that their stored grains are mostly damaged by grain borers, weevils, and rodents. Over the years, farmers in sub-Saharan Africa depend on pesticides to eliminate pests in the store, a practice which is considered harmful to human health. Moreover, the movement of commodities from the field to the markets also account for about 2-4% losses in the case of maize and rice in Madagascar. Crops suffer from spillage, breakage, and sometimes get punctured due to poor handling, packaging.
Reduction Strategies for Food Loss and Food Security in Africa
In an attempt to mitigate the challenge of food loss, particularly in the post-harvest stage, which raises more concern in Africa, both on-farm and off-farm interventions are of utmost importance. Firstly, improving crop varieties, so they are capable of withstanding adverse weather conditions on the field is essential. Again, there is a need for investment in agricultural extension and training of farmers on the best way to handle farm produce during harvest and post-harvest stages. Technology adoption is also necessary at this stage, such as integrated pest management, improved storage techniques. In Malawi, the use of hermetic bags and silos eliminates the need for chemicals in storage units. Agricultural financing and subsidies could assist farmers in technology adoption. Moreover, improvement of necessary infrastructures such as roads, power supply as well as reliable marketing channels and distribution networks is vital. These will not only help in reducing food loss but also reduce food prices in the region. Lastly, the conditions of the processing industries need to improve and be readily available in the rural and urban areas in Africa.
Conclusion
Food loss along the supply chain contributes to food insecurity in Africa. It is influenced by many factors and practices, ranging from climate change, and poor handling to pest infestation and inadequate technologies. Post-harvest losses account for the highest percentage of losses before reaching the targeted consumer. Hence, a reduction in the pre-and post-harvest food loss in Africa will definitely increase food self-sufficiency, and it will also reduce importation and food insecurity.
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