Missing Food – The grain postharvest losses

of Smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa

Dr John Orchard &Prof Rick Hodges

What we will coverWhat we will cover

Why have grain postharvest losses (PHLs) become so important?

What can be done about postharvest losses?

The contribution of the African Postharvest Losses Information System (APHLIS).

The People Daily – Kenya 18/01/2012

What has triggered the interest?What has triggered the interest?Long run movements of food commodity prices Long run movements of food commodity prices

IMF Commodity price indexes deflated by the U.S. CPI

Real

pric

e in

dex

1970s food crisis

2006/07 food crisis

Rea

l pric

e in

dex/

me

tric

ton

ne

In developing countries, for every 1% increase in food prices, food purchases decrease by 0.75% (FAO 2006)

Food riots - 2006Food riots - 2006

The solution – to increase food availability ?

Three options to increase food Three options to increase food availabilityavailability

1st - Increase production

2nd - Widen distribution

3rd - Reduce losses and waste after harvest

The benefits of reducing PHLs?The benefits of reducing PHLs?

PHLs are not just a waste of valuable food but alsoa waste of the resources used in to food production –

Agricultural inputs (fertiliser, pesticide, oil) Water Land Labour

So loss reduction can be a more resource efficient response to food shortage than increased production.

What’s moving the sceneWhat’s moving the scene

Feb 2011

April 2011

What can be done about PHLs*What can be done about PHLs*1. Provide incentives for improved quality.

2. Encourage group marketing.

3. Strengthen grain market institutions.

4. Enable access to improved approaches and technologies.

5. Support the postharvest technical community in LDCs (e.g. through APHLIS).

*See World Bank report ‘Missing Food’ - http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTARD/Resources/MissingFoods10_web.pdf

What is APHLIS?What is APHLIS?

APHLIS is an initiative of the EC’s Joint Research Centre that provides-

weight loss estimates by cereal, by country and by province in Sub-Saharan Africa

African Postharvest Losses Information System African Postharvest Losses Information System

NRI

JRC

BLE - ISICAD

http://www.aphlis.net

Calculates cumulative cereal losses.

Is based on a network of local experts.

Method and data are displayed, so it is fully

transparent.

Has a downloadable calculator for user

estimation at any geographical scale.

What is APHLIS?What is APHLIS?

APHLIS outputs are presented in tables and interactive maps

Maize % weight losses by province

Uses for APHLIS loss estimates Uses for APHLIS loss estimates

Influence policy makers.

Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency of value chains.

Identify opportunities to improve food security.

M&E project performance

APHLIS outputs can be used to:

In the future APHLIS will offerIn the future APHLIS will offer

1. A standardised approach to the collection of loss data – with development of a loss assessment manual.

2. A system for local experts to generate a narrative on loss estimates for their country

In the future APHLIS will offerIn the future APHLIS will offer

3. Provide an understanding of the significance of quality losses, and

4. Provide the approaches to be taken by smallholders, for each step in the post-harvest value chain, to reduce both losses of quantity and quality of their cereal grains.

THANK YOU