From field to market
Often the initial gains from improved production are negated by losses that occur during or after harvest. Currently, worldwide post-harvest losses of agricultural produce are estimated at 30 percent.
To help farmers reduce post-harvest losses, it is important to take into account a great deal more than just potential technical improvements. Farmers' objectives; the farming system, its components and its management; the level of farmer organization; and the level of access to information, markets and credits all play a crucial part in the success of any attempts to improve post-harvest management.
LEISA Magazine • 20.3 • September 2004
Table of contents:
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4 - 5written by ILEIA editorial teamOften the initial gains from improved production are negated by losses that occur during or after harvest. Currently, worldwide post-harvest losses of agricultural produce are estimated at 30 percent. To help farmers reduce post-harvest losses, it is important to take into account a great deal more than just potential technical improvements. Farmers\' objectives; the farming system, its components and its management; the level of farmer organization; and the level of access to information, markets and credits all play a crucial part in the success of any attempts to improve post-harvest management.
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6 - 7written by Dave O'NeillHuman labour is one of the most important resources available to small scale and subsistance farmers. Achieving a good quality harvest and the process of storing, processing and selling crops require considerable efforts.
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8 - 8written by Roger W. SharlandThe first concern of most small-scale farmers is not whether they can market their harvest but whether they have produced enough to feed their families and replenish their stores for another season. This aspect of small-scale agriculture is often over-looked by development programmes that tend to focus on increasing the production for the market. For subsistence farmers, however, post-harvest characteristics such as taste and food preparation factors are equally important as yield. Three examples are given where research has focused on yield and market rather than on the values of subsistence, which has led to introduction of high yielding varieties that were not adopted by farmers. It should be recognized that for subsistence farmers post-harvest value is strongly linked to the intended use of the products, and less to the potential price they can fetch on the market.
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9 - 9written by Ansen Ward , Alabi BorteyFish is the maon source of animal protein for over a billion people, and contributes significantly to the economies of many countries. Post-harvest fisheries include everything that happens from the time fish are caught to when they are finally consumed or processed into products like animal feed.
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10 - 12written by Sonia Pezo and Daniel RodriguezTo help small-scale quesillo producers in Peru improve their production methods, ITDG trained farmer extensionists on milk quality, production of improved quesillo and other dairy products, business management, organization and leadership, and on basic equipment for quality control of dairy products. These extensionists in turn offered training as well as technical and commercial assistance to the quesillo makers. While the results of this training and extension model were quite different than originally planned, they offered interesting benefits for both farmers and the farmer extensionists, strengthened social capital and improved linkages within the market chain.
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13 - 13written by Mohammad Amiri Ardakani , Mohammad Hossein EmadiIn the rural areas of Iran, farmers and nomadic pastoralists have a long and rich history of animal husbandry and range management. Iranian tradition and experience shows that if such by-products as manure, bone, horn, hoof, blood and fat are well managed acd carefully processed they provide benefits to farmers and protect the productivity of their natural resources.
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14 - 14written by Nageeb Ibrahim Bakheit , Kees StigterFor thousand of years, farmers have used undergraound storage pits to preserve their grain. In eastern and central Sudan these are known as matmuras. Traditionally they are dug in black cotton soil, trying to avoid areas with big cracks or sand or chlak deposits.
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15 - 15This page represents a small sample of the information on traditional storage structures that was sent to us by our readers.
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16 - 16written by Adugna HaileFarmers in the highlands of Eritrea grow a number of cereals. Most of these are stored for uo to a year for later consumption or as seed for the next season. Storage mostly takes place inside the house...
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16 - 16written by Danilo J. MejiaThe household metallic silo is a simple storage technology recommended by FAO for small and medium scale grain and cereal farmers.
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17 - 17written by Sindi Kasambala , Hendry A.MzirayFarmers in northern Tanzania lose a considerable proportion of their stored beans to small bruchid beetles. This article describes the efforts of ECABREN and CIAT to improve bean production and reduce post-harvest losses. Researchers and farmers jointly carried out an experiment to measure field infestation that illustrated the importance of timely harvesting and also led to the development of a more comprehensive strategy for reducing post-harvest losses of beans.
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18 - 19written by Thomas Bernet , Walter AmorosThe International Potato Center (CIP) in Peru has started to look at making new use of native potato varieties. Farmers in the high Andes of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru traditionally grow hundreds of different varieties. 30 varieties were selected for the production of potato chips. A rather exclusive marketing concept was developed; \"Jalca Chips\".
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20 - 21written by Miguel Fernández and Tania VásquezECOVIR is a farmer company in Bolivia that has specialized in the solar drying of fruits and other products. It is a leading company in the field, working on principles of social solidarity while at the same time applying a market approach.
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22 - 23written by Aghan DanielLocated some 400 km north west of Nairobi, Kenya, Gamalenga village is struggling to harness local resources in its fight against intense poverty. Improved sweet potato harvests there are the result of a combination of external intervention and farmer innovation.
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24 - 26In East Africa, people use relatively simple processing methods for cassava. In the Lake Zone of Tanzania it is mainly consumed as udaga, which is made from fermented roots that are cleaned and crushed or punded into smaller pieces. Traditional products can be processes relatively cheaply using little equipment. However, the processing methods may be too labour intensive for commercial use and the flour is usually not of a high enough quality.
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27 - 27written by Rik ThijssenCrop diversification in the Yayasan Mitra Tani Mandiri area on Timor Island is a good ezample of a \"pulling force\" for making sustainable agriculture more attractive. Pineapple was promoted as a suitable crop for drier areas, with potential uses in soil conservation and products for home consumption as well as for the market. This crop grew well, and was indeed well suited to the situation and needs of local farmers. As a result, more and more pineapple was planted.
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28 - 29written by Ramon A. DiñoFor years, extension in the Philippines has focused on improving production. The farmers appreciated the increased yield, but did not realise that these increases were lost again as a result of huge post-harvest losses. Typical post-harvest losses in the Philippines were estimated to be somewhere between 28 and 42 percent. When this estimate was released, the Department of Agriculture initiated a research and extension programme to help farmers reduce the losses and change the equation of farmers\' livelihoods.
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30 - 31written by Lutta Muhammad , Frederick M. KiiluThe agricultural sector plays the leading role in the economy of Kenya. But fresh fruits and vegetabnle crops are harvested over short periods and this leads to surpluses and low prices during the harvesting season. Moreover, fresh production is perishable, tacky, bulky and susceptible to attacks by pests and diseases. This article highlights the experiences of a micro enterprise in the processing of fruits and vegetables in Ukambani area, Kenya.
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36 - 36written by Michel PimbertSmall scale farmers and town dwellers in the Medak District of Andhra Pradesh, India, are reviving local food cultures on their own terms. The Deccan Development Society, a local NGO, facilitated the process of learning and action that led to the recent creation of an organic food co-operative and the opening of an ethnic café.
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