Sustainability/Food Waste and Postharvest Loss Reduction

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This three-year project is aimed at increasing food and nutritional security in Rwanda, by understanding and identifying the most efficient ways to reduce postharvest losses in horticulture. ABA is working in partnership with MINAGRI, University of Rwanda, National Agriculture Export Development Board and Rwanda Agricultural Board. The project is initiated by the Horticulture Innovation Lab, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of the US Government’s global hunger and food security initiative called Feed the Future initiative and led by the University of California, Davis. The project has conducted postharvest loss assessment studies on tomatoes, green bananas, green chilies and orange fleshed sweet potatoes. The project has assessed and scaled up several postharvest solutions through its three Postharvest Training & Services Centers including Coolbot powered cold rooms, Zero Energy Cool Chamber (ZECC), solar dryers, crates and other postharvest solutions and best practices. Our approach includes building local entrepreneurial capacity to support the widespread adoption of appropriate postharvest technology through innovation competitions and mentoring.

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture/USAID | Burkina Faso

The two-year project is aimed at improving postharvest handling, storage, processing, and marketing of tomatoes in Burkina Faso. The project has conducted a market assessment of tomatoes to understand the main causes of postharvest losses and explore new/improved marketing opportunities for tomato farmers. We have worked with ACDI/VOCA’s VIM project and Catholic Relief Services to build postharvest capacity in their horticulture specialists to broadly disseminate knowledge to tomato farmers. The project has set up a Postharvest Training & Services Center (PTSC) to conduct adaptive research on postharvest handling and storage technologies and research on improved tomato processing techniques. The project has promoted the adoption of these technologies through working with the local Agri-entrepreneurs and hosting a grants competition and conference. In addition, the project has conducted participatory trials with farmers of seed varieties for various characteristics including planting during the rainy season. 

World Wildlife Fund Africa | Zimbabwe, Zambia, Cameroon, and Tanzania

Using a participatory approach and value chain framework, ABA worked to develop a Food Loss Reduction strategy and project concepts with operational work plans for WWF in Central, East, and Southern Africa. WWF’s priority landscapes for the project were the KAZA region with a focus on horticulture in Zimbabwe and Zambia, TRIDOM with a focus on palm oil in Cameroon, and SOKNOT with a focus on horticulture in Tanzania. ABA developed strategies and project concepts to highlight the opportunities, needs, and challenges for reducing postharvest losses, and identified the most impactful solutions with a clear indication of WWF’s contribution, building upon projects already being conducted in Africa

World Bank | Rwanda, Nigeria, and India

Conducted Postharvest Loss Assessments using the Commodity Systems Assessment Methodology for maize and tomatoes in Nigeria, Rwanda, and India. The Tomato and Maize studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals.

World Wildlife Fund USA 

The project was aimed to elevate understanding of postharvest loss in the domestic commodity crop sector, especially during handling and farm storage for corn and soy in the US Midwest. During the project, ABA used Commodity Systems Assessment Methodology (CSAM) to measure corn and soy losses from a sample of farms and storage facilities and surveyed farmers and facility managers to understand the root causes of losses. The project identified regional variation in losses and various barriers to reduce postharvest losses.

USAID/USDA | USA

An applied research project to create actionable knowledge products that can be used by various stakeholders to enable greater investments in Food Loss and Waste. ABA developed a Food Loss and Waste Value Selection guide to educate various stakeholders on how to prioritize value chains by FLW criteria. Further, we developed case studies that characterized and explored key factors that drive food loss and waste along with impactful solutions. Case studies also highlighted innovative solutions and partnerships, entry points, different value chains, global contexts, and enabling conditions. ABA provided illustrative business models for promising interventions that were profitable, scalable, and had high potential to reduce food waste and loss and greenhouse gas emissions.

Rockefeller Foundation

Gill was a member and Co Organizer of the Leader’s Quest organized by the Rockefeller Foundation for understanding postharvest solutions in Africa. During the design stage, a team of twenty-three experts (including those from IT, Banks, and industry) evaluated postharvest innovations in India for possible adaptation in Africa. The mission focused on ideation and learning from the experiences of different industries to explore possible solutions for agribusiness. Based on this quest and other such initiatives, Rockefeller Foundation rolled out a postharvest initiative in Africa with a total commitment of USD 70 million.

ABA worked with World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO) to evaluate and suggest measures for sustainability of the Postharvest Centers established in Tanzania. ABA evaluated the sustainability of postharvest centers post the project implementation period. The primary methodology adopted was personal interviews with all the stakeholders, to develop a strategy for sustainable operations of these postharvest training centers.