Technologies to reduce post-harvest food loss

One of the sources of food insecurity in Africa is post harvest crop loss. In African countries preand post-harvest crop losses are higher than the global average and impact more severely on already endangered livelihoods. It has been estimated that at least 10 percent of the continent’s crop productivity is lost on and off farm. This is mainly because most subsistence farming communities to do not have access to appropriate technologies. A wide range of existing food processing technologies is not accessible to and adapted by African countries and their communities. Climatic conditions also contribute to crop losses. Floods, heavy rains, droughts and other related factors cause considerable post harvest crop loss.

Tropical root and tuber crops (cassava, sweet potato, yam and cocoyam) are both important household food security and income generating crops in many African countries. Well over five million people in Africa depend on these crops for food, feed and income and many of these people are the poorest of the poor. Take cassava as an example. Cassava can considerably transform local economies. It can be used more in processed forms for food, feed and starch derived products. Cassava represents an important part of the economies of most regions of Africa. However, due to the perishability of the crop, processing is necessary to increase shelf-life.

Overcoming the perishability of the crops, enhancing nutritional value and adding economic value through processing are the main ways of enlarging food security in Africa. Available technologies for processing roots and tubers limit these crops from reaching their full potential as sources of both food and income. The development and introduction of new processing technologies offer potential to improve food security and local industrialization.

Programme Objective

This programme aims at promoting research to identify, develop and promote diffusion of relevant or appropriate technologies to reduce post harvest food loss, with initial emphasis on crops.

It will specifically focus on:

• Conducting an inventory of current technologies and practices for reducing post-harvest food loss;
• Promoting exchange of information on appropriate technologies;
• Stimulating new research and technological innovation; and
• Encouraging multidisciplinary networks of research and technicians to work on specific food technology development initiatives.

Indicative Projects and Activities

The following projects will be developed and implemented in the short to medium term.

Project 1: Promoting the Development and Diffusion of Appropriate Food Processing

The food industry is a major employer whether operating at the level of the small scale entrepreneur or commercial producers. Research in food processing helps enterprises with limited access to capital meet international food standards of processing and quality management. Food processing research should be directed at adding value to raw materials. This can be done by separation processes which extract or refine the raw material into a desired primary fraction and lower grade secondary fraction(s), by preventing raw material biodeterioration to increase shelf life and stabilise quality and by optimising nutritional value.

The following concrete steps will be taken to generate specific detailed project components. Leading experts in food processing will be commissioned to prepare project proposals. These will be reviewed at an African conference on food processing. The conference will identify and establish a continental network of centres of excellence in food processing to implement agreed on projects in the four priority areas.

This proposed project will be developed around the following key areas/domains:

• Processing and utilisation of small grains, sorghum and millets;
• Utilisation of by products in animal feeding systems, development of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in oilcakes, mycotoxins in oilcakes;
• Fermentation and the quality management of tea and coffee; water control in the wet coffee processing industry; and
• Improving the efficiency of fish processing.

Project 2: Promoting Industrial Use of Cassava

Research has shown that conversion of cassava into products for the starch, food, plywood, paperboard, textile and pharmaceutical industries can contribute significantly to the transformation of rural African economies and improve livelihoods. In many African communities cassava is consumed in two forms; a dried product made from heap-fermented roots; and dried whole roots. These are processed into flour and consumed as a stiff porridge in both rural and urban areas. These traditional products have the advantage that they can be produced relatively cheaply using little equipment. However, two main limitations associated with them are:

1. the flour is not of a high enough quality for use in other food products (e.g., bakery products) and
2. the methods used are labour intensive.

Current uses of cassava are narrow and limited to subsistence. The crop is consumed domestically within the areas in which it is produced. The continent as a whole is not exploiting the full potential of this crop because of a variety of social, economic and technical factors. The high perishability of harvested cassava and the presence of cyanogenic glucosides require immediate processing of the storage roots into more stable and safer products. Storage and packaging technologies to extend shelf life can contribute to increasing cassava root availability and reliability, and facilitating industrial processing for export. In addition to tap the full industrial potential of cassava, innovative public-private sector partnerships are required to establish a market chain from producer to end-user.

This project will focus on promoting the development, diffusion and application of technologies for industrial use of cassava.

To achieve the above actions, a consortium of research, technology development and industry will be established out of a workshop. The consortium will develop a comprehensive programme of work and mobilize investment.

Initial emphasis will be placed on such actions:

• Conducting baseline research on socioeconomic and technological aspects of cassava processing. This will include identifying existing technologies and measures to promote the technology diffusion across the continent;
• Identifying and promoting diffusion of improved drying techniques;
• Piloting of hand-driven chipping machines to improve quality and reduce the labour input involved in conventional processing;
• Documenting and disseminating technical knowledge to support the development of new technologies;
• Developing technologies to process cassava waste for improved biomass utilization, with emphasis on energy; and
• In partnership with industry, promoting the establishment of cassava starch extraction mini plants in order to meet starch demands for textile, pharmaceutical and paper industries.