[ad_1]
African experts expressed the need for national governments and regional bodies to adopt effective policies and technology-driven interventions to reduce post-harvest losses that stifle food security in the region.
This was the concluding call of a panel of experts, during a webinar on “Accelerating access to post-harvest management technologies for improved food security and trade in Africa” organized by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).
Dr Emmanuel Okogbenin, director of program development and marketing at AATF, noted that the promotion and adoption of integrated post-harvest management systems that combine the best of technologies to reduce costs and maximize returns were the best approach to manage postharvest losses.
Emmanuel stressed the importance of scaling up traditional and modern post-harvest management techniques to encourage adoption and use. “Selling technologies at discounted prices so that farmers can try them out at home and see the value of buying and setting up easy and affordable demonstration trials for post-harvest management.
Emmanuel also called on African governments to increase investment in the region, while noting that the application of agricultural biotechnology can be a game-changer through the development of varieties capable of reducing post-harvest diseases, improving resistance to diseases. bruising and slow ripening.
Dr Komla Bissi, Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) coordinator at the African Union Commission, noted that post-harvest losses are not unique to Africa, as 1.3 billion metric tons of food representing about 30 percent of the world’s food produced are lost each year. post-harvest issues.
Dr Bissi, who spoke on “Creating an enabling environment for effective post-harvest management to facilitate regional trade in the context of AfCFTA: the role of regional bodies”, said Africa was losing 100 million tonnes of food each year, which equals $ 4. billion. These losses have the potential to meet the food needs and needs of approximately 44 million people per year.
He said efforts must be intensified to ensure that the growing disparities between food production and losses are addressed if the continent is to achieve food security.
He cited the African Union’s Malabo Declaration that African governments signed in 2014 to end hunger and food waste as a benchmark for governments to step up actions to address issues related to post-harvest losses. .
“There is a need to improve the systemic capacities of national institutions across the continent. At the AU level, we are already working with national governments to develop strategies to reduce these losses, but there is a need to involve private sector actors as we strive to explore options to attract and increase funding to deal with this critical area, ”he added.
Dr Gabriel Rugalema, regional director for the East and Southern Africa region at the World Vegetable Center, said eliminating post-harvest losses is imperative for social, economic, environmental and food security reasons.
Dr Rugalema noted that the use of standard technologies and practices such as sun drying, bleaching, smoking and salting to reduce PHL exists and is accessible, but added that political will is needed to urgently to support the scaling up and large-scale adoption of these technologies.
Rugalema, who spoke on “Private Sector Involvement in Post-Harvest Management: Access to Emerging Technologies and Opportunities,” said that in Africa all crops suffer from post-harvest losses more than any other continent. “Horticultural crops, including vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices, are delicate and vulnerable to rapid post-harvest deterioration,” he said.
He cited the lack of post-harvest processing technologies, poor road infrastructure and unreliable markets as some of the main causes of post-harvest losses.
He believes there is no shortage of technologies to reduce or even eliminate post-harvest losses, but added that what is missing is expanding access to meet growing demand.
“There is a wide variety of technologies – simple (direct solar drying), intermediate (use of solar energy or small electrical equipment), industrial (medium and large-scale factories or factories to transform and enhance agricultural products). There is a need to develop / expand affordable and locally made technologies to meet demand ”.
Opeoluwa Fayomi, the founder of Plethora Farms in Nigeria, who presented a series of challenges facing food producers across Nigeria and some local strategies they have introduced to reduce post-harvest losses, noted that the PHL threatens the continent’s efforts to achieve food security.
Fayomi said that already people facing the challenges of PHL were trying out some locally made technologies, such as slicing and drying tomatoes, using neem leaves as a preservative and husking corn as a preservation technique.
She suggested adherence to good agronomic practices, as well as effective planning and implementation of strategies that deal with PHL and, more importantly, the need to facilitate the introduction and production of cheaper technologies that deal with PHLs across the continent.
Source link
