Publication: Post-Harvest Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa : What Do Farmers Say?
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Published
2014-04
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Date
2014-04-10
Author(s)
Kaminski, Jonathan
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Abstract
The 2007-2008 global food crisis has renewed interest in post-harvest loss, but estimates remain scarce, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper uses self-reported measures from nationally representative household surveys in Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania. Overall, on-farm post-harvest loss adds to 1.4-5.9 percent of the national maize harvest, substantially lower than the Food and Agriculture Organization's post-harvest handling and storage loss estimate for cereals, which is 8 percent. Post-harvest loss is concentrated among less than a fifth of households. It increases with humidity and temperature and declines with better market access, post-primary education, higher seasonal price differences, and possibly improved storage practices. Wider use of nationally representative surveys in studying post-harvest loss is called for.
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“Kaminski, Jonathan; Christiaensen, Luc. 2014. Post-Harvest Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa : What Do Farmers Say?. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6831. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17721 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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