Reducing Postharvest Loss in All Areas of the Production Chain

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Keywords:
Postharvest loss, production chain, food scarcity, international agriculture, food waste

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Alyssa Volland
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract

In today’s world, 30% of the food produced is wasted. That food could be used to nourish millions facing food scarcity and hunger. Food lost during the production chain is referred to as postharvest loss. Reducing postharvest loss can effectively feed starving mouths while conserving resources and decreasing the pressure to produce more. There are five main areas where postharvest loss can be reduced – harvest, storage, transportation, processing, and retail. New approaches and technologies in each of these areas will increase the amount of food available for human consumption. However, implementing these solutions will require cooperation among nations and substantial financial support from public and private sectors.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 2 No. 1 (2016): i-ACES: Reflection Papers from the First International Congress on Postharvest Loss Prevention in Rome, Italy, 2015
Section
Reflection Papers

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