First Africa-wide Postharvest food loss reduction Congress and Exhibition

28/03/2017 - 31/03/2017 (Nairobi, Kenya) 

The World Food Preservation Center® LLC in conjunction with its sister University (University of Nairobi) and a consortium of Universities and a Research & Development Institution in Africa organized the First all Africa Postharvest Loss Reduction Congress and Exhibition. 

The Congress’s theme was on ‘Reducing Postharvest Food Losses: Sustainable Solutions for Africa’ and brought together diverse stakeholders in the food supply chain including farmers, transporters and traders. Other targeted participants included researchers, academics, policy makers, technology developers and entrepreneurs in the public and private sector from more than 40 countries, with more than 600 participants. A range of emerging and scalable technologies were showcased by extension agents, entrepreneurs, investors, donors, and researchers with the top ten innovations being pitched and acknowledged during a special event held during the Congress. By clicking the follwoing you can access the Book of abstracts and the Peer reviewed expanded abstracts of the “1st All Africa Postharvest Congress & Exhibition”. 

The overall aim was to provide a platform where technology developers and promoters could interact with potential users, sponsors and policy makers with an ultimate goal of scaling up for wider adoption in an enabling policy environment. It highlighted success stories of technologies, practices, strategies and policies that have worked to reduce food losses in the African context. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), African Union Commission, Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), East African Grain Council (EAGC), East Africa Trade and Investment Hub (USAID), Postharvest Education Foundation, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Horticulture Innovation Lab (USAID), Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Compatible Technology International (CTI) among others heve shared examples from their concrete interventions.

The Community of Practice on food loss reduction run a booth at the exhibition where hundreds of delegates passed by, collected relevant information and networked with other stakeholders. A presentation to the plenary session moderated by Brett Rierson (WFP, Global Post-Harvest Knowledge and Operation center) on Best Practices in Postharvest Management was successfully delivered by Francesca Gianfelici, CoP moderator, and illustrated what the CoP is about. 

The Horticulture Innovation Lab network organized a special session on USAID-funded postharvest projects, where WFP presented on "Scaling Post-harvest loss reduction across Africa" .

In the framework of the t UN RBA join project, Mireille Totobesola, chaired a work stream session on “Food loss and waste assessment in agricultural value chains”. In this session three presentations reported on the results of the food loss analysis (FLA) undertaken in Burkina Faso and DRC, including one on the gender perspective of the food loss analysis in Burkina Faso. Other relevant presentation were given on “Farmer post-production practices, grain losses and perceptions in maize-based smallholder farming systems of Zimbabwe” by Brighton Mvumi, and on “Expanding the African Postharvest Losses Information System - APHLIS+” by Tanya Stathers. Finally, as one of the oral presenter Mr Gilmar P. Henz reported on Postharvest losses in perishable in Brazil. FLA carried out in Uganda was presented by Harriet Muyinza at work stream session 3b on Postharvest handling and technologies and storage solutions for grains.

In addition, FANRPAN led a session on Policy, practice, youth and gender angles in postharvest management. Interesting presentations are downloadable on "An evaluation of gender roles, relationships, and social equity in post-harvest management in Benin and Mozambique"by Elisabeth Mnyandu , on "Returns to investment in PHM: Benin and Mozambique" by Muhhamo Chisvo and a presentation on "Gender equality in post-harvest management" by Mireille Totobesola.