Abstract:

Although there is enough food to feed the world’s 7 billion people, some 800 million people around the world are trapped in a life of poverty and hunger. In recent years, global food production has reached a record high, but one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. Post-harvest food loss is one of the largest contributing factors to food insecurity, undernutrition, and hunger across the developing world, directly impacting the lives of millions of poor, smallholder farming families. In many developing countries, due to inadequate handling and storage practices at the household level, within the first three months after harvest, farmers lose up to 40 percent of their harvest to insects, pests, mould, and moisture. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Sub-Saharan Africa alone loses 20 million metric tons of food each year, valued at over US$4 billion (2011).