Measuring postharvest losses at the farm level in Malawi

Measuring postharvest losses at the farm level in Malawi PDF Author: Ambler, Kate
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
Reducing food loss and waste are important policy objectives prominently featured in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. To optimally design interventions targeted at reducing losses, it is important to know where losses are concentrated between the farm and fork. This paper measures farmlevel postharvest losses for three main crops—maize, soy, and groundnuts—among 1,200 households in Malawi. Farmers answered a detailed questionnaire designed to learn about losses during harvest and transport, processing, and storage and which measures both total losses and reductions in crop quality. The findings indicate that fewer than half of households report suffering losses conditional on growing each crop. In addition, conditional on losses occurring, the loss averages between 5 and 12 percent of the farmer’s total harvest. Compared to nationally representative data that measure losses using a single survey question, this study documents a far greater percentage of farmers experiencing losses, though the unconditional proportion lost is similar. We find that losses are concentrated in harvest and processing activities for groundnuts and maize; for soy, they are highest during processing. Existing interventions have primarily targeted storage activities; however, these results suggest that targeting other activities may be worthwhile.

Measuring postharvest losses at the farm level in Malawi

Measuring postharvest losses at the farm level in Malawi PDF Author: Ambler, Kate
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 36

Get Book Here

Book Description
Reducing food loss and waste are important policy objectives prominently featured in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. To optimally design interventions targeted at reducing losses, it is important to know where losses are concentrated between the farm and fork. This paper measures farmlevel postharvest losses for three main crops—maize, soy, and groundnuts—among 1,200 households in Malawi. Farmers answered a detailed questionnaire designed to learn about losses during harvest and transport, processing, and storage and which measures both total losses and reductions in crop quality. The findings indicate that fewer than half of households report suffering losses conditional on growing each crop. In addition, conditional on losses occurring, the loss averages between 5 and 12 percent of the farmer’s total harvest. Compared to nationally representative data that measure losses using a single survey question, this study documents a far greater percentage of farmers experiencing losses, though the unconditional proportion lost is similar. We find that losses are concentrated in harvest and processing activities for groundnuts and maize; for soy, they are highest during processing. Existing interventions have primarily targeted storage activities; however, these results suggest that targeting other activities may be worthwhile.

Food systems for healthier diets in Bangladesh: Towards a research agenda

Food systems for healthier diets in Bangladesh: Towards a research agenda PDF Author: de Brauw, Alan
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description
The national food system of Bangladesh has made substantial progress since experiencing famine in 1974, soon after independence. After the famine, the government placed a strong emphasis on policies required to attain grain self-sufficiency; since attaining self-sufficiency, the production system, policies related to it, and resulting diets have begun to diversify. Nonetheless, undernutrition remains a problem, and fruit and vegetable consumption are inadequate for most people relative to international recommendations. Moreover, as the food system has begun to transition towards a modern one, challenges related to food safety and perceived food adulteration have begun to rise. Further, increased processed food intakes are potentially associated with existing rising overweight and obesity status. Both government interventions and innovations are needed to help shift the national food system to improve nutrient-dense food availability, particularly among the poor, and to limit the increase in processed food consumption.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2019

The State of Food and Agriculture 2019 PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251317895
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description
The need to reduce food loss and waste is firmly embedded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Food loss and waste reduction is considered important for improving food security and nutrition, promoting environmental sustainability and lowering production costs. However, efforts to reduce food loss and waste will only be effective if informed by a solid understanding of the problem. This report provides new estimates of the percentage of the world’s food lost from production up to the retail level. The report also finds a vast diversity in existing estimates of losses, even for the same commodities and for the same stages in the supply chain. Clearly identifying and understanding critical loss points in specific supply chains – where considerable potential exists for reducing food losses – is crucial to deciding on appropriate measures. The report provides some guiding principles for interventions based on the objectives being pursued through food loss and waste reductions, be they in improved economic efficiency, food security and nutrition, or environmental sustainability.

Agriculture, food security, and nutrition in Malawi: Leveraging the links

Agriculture, food security, and nutrition in Malawi: Leveraging the links PDF Author: Aberman, Noora-Lisa
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN: 089629286X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 82

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Book Description
Although the Malawian food supply is shaped largely by trends in smallholder food crop production, Ma­lawi’s decades-long focus on improving smallholder productivity has only moderately improved food secu­rity and nutrition outcomes. Country statistics indicate an estimated 36.7 percent of rural Malawian house­holds failed to access sufficient calories between 2010 and 2011. During the same period, 47 percent of children under the age of five years were esti­mated to be stunted in their growth. These indicators imply that some Malawian diets are lacking in terms of quantity (total calories consumed), and most are lacking in terms of quality (sufficient calories derived from nutrient-dense foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, fruits, and vegetables). Good nutrition requires both enough total calories (quantity) and enough vitamins and minerals per calorie (quality). How can Malawi better leverage its smallholder agriculture sector to improve nutrition? This report provides a series of primary and secondary data anal­yses that examine different aspects of this question.

Is the WTO dispute settlement procedure fair to developing countries?

Is the WTO dispute settlement procedure fair to developing countries? PDF Author: Metivier, Jeanne
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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Book Description
Since the inception of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995, member countries have been heavily relying on the organization's dispute settlement procedure (DSP). Exploiting a new database on WTO litigations between 1995 and 2014, this paper describes disputes initiated over this period and identifies potential sources of bias concerning the participation of developing countries. The analysis builds on three different models to determine country i's probability of initiating a dispute against country j. Either it depends only on the two countries' structure of trade, that is the number of products exported by i to j (a situation we refer to as the rules-based model), or it is also affected by country i's or country j's specific characteristics (the unilateral power-based model), or it is also affected by bilateral economic and trade relations between countries i and j (the bilateral power-based model). We find that country i's structure of trade with j plays an important role in explaining the probability that i initiates a dispute against j under the DSP. Furthermore, country i's legal capacity and both countries' political regimes also affect this probability. However, we do not find that bilateral relationships between i and j, such as participants' capacity to retaliate against each others have an impact on dispute initiation.

Preventing food losses and waste to achieve food security and sustainability

Preventing food losses and waste to achieve food security and sustainability PDF Author: Prof Elhadi M. Yahia
Publisher: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
ISBN: 1786763028
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 520

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Book Description
The first comprehensive review of the causes and prevention of food losses and waste (FLW), bringing together leading experts from around the world. Multi-dimensional approach in addressing the problem of FLW from a range of perspectives: key stages in the supply chain, different types of commodity and different regions in the world. Valuable case studies from different regions on practical measures to tackle FLW.

Post-harvest loss in Mozambique - Estimating maize loss in Manica and Zambezia provinces

Post-harvest loss in Mozambique - Estimating maize loss in Manica and Zambezia provinces PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251351562
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
In Mozambique, food security remains a key issue and the country suffers perennial food shortages, especially in the provinces of Manica,Tete, Sofala, Zambezia, Maputo and Gaza. Weaknesses in post-harvest systems, which contribute to both a lower supply and higher food prices (due to post-harvest losses) are key reasons behind these food shortages. Currently, none of the post-harvest losses programmes conducted in Mozambique provides loss estimates along the entire value chain for a given commodity. In this report, we quantify losses across the value chain in maize, which is a key staple food in Mozambique, in the provinces of Manica and Zambezia. The study, carried out by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in collaboration with the Agrifood Economics Division (ESA) at FAO, sheds light on understanding the magnitude, nature and consequences of food losses across the maize value chain in selected regions in Mozambique. In particular, the methodology used in this report allows to accurately measure food losses and identify in which segment of the value chain these food losses occur and the causes of the losses.

Does location matter? A spatial analysis of the factors influencing adoption of cereal-legume intercropping among smallholder farming households in Malawi

Does location matter? A spatial analysis of the factors influencing adoption of cereal-legume intercropping among smallholder farming households in Malawi PDF Author: Chigwe, Tabitha C. Nindi
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 34

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Book Description
This study examines the adoption of sustainable agricultural intensification practices— particularly cereal-legume intercropping—by smallholder farming households in Malawi. The focus of the study is on how spatial variation in key factors related to agricultural production and marketing influences farming households’ decision-making processes under risk. Separate analyses are done for six distinct agroecological zones in Malawi to evaluate how resource and market constraints affect farming households’ decisions to employ intercropping practices on their cropland and how the variations in these constraints have differing impacts on adoption of intercropping across different regions. This study provides valuable insights into the complexities of smallholder farming choices in diverse geographic contexts.

Prevalence and control measures of food-borne pathogens

Prevalence and control measures of food-borne pathogens PDF Author: Peng Fei
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2832534686
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 126

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Book Description


Rural livelihoods in Mon State: Evidence from a representative household survey

Rural livelihoods in Mon State: Evidence from a representative household survey PDF Author: Filipski, Mateusz J.
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
The purpose of this report is to provide information and analysis to government, civil society, and donors interested in improving the well-being of the rural population of Mon State, Myanmar. Specifically, the report analyzes the different sources of income for rural households, as well as their socioeconomic characteristics, with a view to helping identify constraints on growth and potential pathways to improving incomes. The overall picture that emerges is one of a struggling agricultural sector and an economy heavily dependent on services for local employment and on international migration for income. The analysis is based on a sample of 1,632 rural households, designed to be representative of rural households in Mon State as a whole. The survey included a household questionnaire and a community survey, and gathered information on demographics, all economic aspects of the household, and access to infrastructure and services at the community level.