Post-harvest loss reduction : a value chain perspective on the role of post-harvest management in attaining economically and environmentally sustainable food chains

This paper was written by experts from Wageningen University & Research (WUR), representing their combined expertise on food chains, post-harvest technology, sustainability, food security, economics, and food safety. The paper was drafted at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give insight in the potential impact of post-harvest management (PHM) on a selected number of societal themes. The themes that are considered relevant within the domestic and international political context for global economic development and social stability, are successively: 1) food security, 2) food safety, 3) economic revenues, 4) employment, and 5) climate footprint. This paper presents the outcome of an exercise to combine the relevant expertise1) related to the topic of post-harvest management and in the context of reducing food losses in the post-harvest chain. The objective of the paper is to provide insight in the effects of the deployment of resources for the strengthening of post-harvest management on the mentioned themes.

[1]  I. Arbon,et al.  A tank of cold: cleantech leapfrog to a more food secure world. , 2014 .

[2]  E. Westra,et al.  Green Corridor East Africa. Horticultural supply chain Kenya – Europe , 2013 .

[3]  Y. R. Waarts,et al.  Reducing food waste; Obstacles experienced in legislation and regulations , 2011 .

[4]  Nancy Morgan,et al.  Missing food : the case of postharvest grain losses in Sub-Saharan Africa , 2011 .

[5]  J. Minx,et al.  A definition of “carbon footprint” , 2010 .

[6]  Ian D. Williams,et al.  ‘Carbon footprinting’: towards a universally accepted definition , 2011 .

[7]  T. Reardon.  The hidden middle: the quiet revolution in the midstream of agrifood value chains in developing countries , 2015 .

[8]  Ruerd Ruben.  Impact assessment of commodity standards: towards inclusive value chains , 2017 .

[9]  J. Swinnen.  Global Supply Chains, Standards and the Poor: How the Globalization of Food Systems and Standards Affects Rural Development and Poverty , 2007 .

[10]  W. Ploos van Amstel,et al.  Fysieke distributie: denken in toegevoegde waarde , 1996 .

[11]  Developments and Needs for Sustainable Agro-Logistics in Developing Countries , 2014 .

[12]  A. Flammini,et al.  Food wastage footprint: Impacts on natural resources - Summary report , 2013 .

[13]  D. Reay,et al.  A half-century of production-phase greenhouse gas emissions from food loss & waste in the global food supply chain. , 2016, The Science of the total environment.

[14]  Jean C. Buzby,et al.  Total and per capita value of food loss in the United States , 2012 .

[15]  Jikun Huang,et al.  Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems , 2014 .

[16]  Luc Christiaensen,et al.  Post-Harvest Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa -- What Do Farmers Say? , 2014 .

[17]  World food consumption patterns – trends and drivers , .

[18]  R. Hodges,et al.  FORESIGHT PROJECT ON GLOBAL FOOD AND FARMING FUTURES Postharvest losses and waste in developed and less developed countries: opportunities to improve resource use* , 2010 .