Globally, food is often discarded, uneaten or lost at the stages of production, processing, retailing and consumption but in Africa, the bulk of wasted food is from post-harvest loss and consumer preferences. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the amount of food wasted in Africa is enough to feed 300 million people. This clearly suggests that Africa actually produces more than enough to feed itself.
In order to get more insight into food waste in Nigeria and what is being done to help curb the problem in Africa, Ventures Africa met with Mamadou Biteye, Managing Director Africa, Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Regional Office. Mamadou gave more insight into the issue of food wastage and how the Rockefeller foundation is helping to provide solutions in Nigeria and the continent at large.
Ventures Africa (VA): What is the extent of loss caused by food waste in Africa?
Mamadou Biteye (MB): Each year one-third of all food produced for human consumption—1.3 billion tons—is lost before it reaches retailers. Unfortunately, 40 percent of the food that does reach retailers is never eaten up but thrown away. This is enough food to feed all the 1.2 billion hungry or undernourished people on the planet. It’s an unsustainable practice given that 2 billion more people are expected to live on the planet by 2050.
Globally, it has huge impacts on the economy as it reduces farmers’ income by 15 percent, for 470 smallholder farmer’s health in terms of poor nutrition and environmental since 25 percent of freshwater and 20 percent farmland is wasted on unconsumed food. Food loss and waste have negative impacts far beyond food insecurity and reverberates across supply chains, where the cost of this hidden waste is still unaccounted for on corporate balance sheets. The economic development and global competitiveness of agriculture-dependent nations–and the livelihoods of farmers–suffer when crops and food exports don’t make it to market. They squander limited land and water resources, and harmful greenhouse gas emissions increase.
It also represents a chronic systemic problem in agricultural supply chains across Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 50 percent of fruits and vegetables, 40 percent of roots and tubers, 20 percent of cereals in developing regions spoil by the time they are consumed. This is largely because farmers lack the knowledge, financing and equipment to harvest, sell, and process and store the harvested crops adequately. It is reported that Africa lost $48 billion in post-harvest losses in 2010. When juxtaposed against the $35 billion food import bill in 2011, Africa could close the food import gap.
VA: Do you think that Africa is doing enough to raise awareness regarding Post Harvest Loss (PHL) and food waste in the continent?
MB: Yes. African Countries have been making numerous attempts to reduce post-harvest losses through various partnerships, policy changes and also creating enabling environments for donors and other players to assist in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals to End hunger, achieve food security, and promote sustainable agriculture. African Heads of State have also committed their respective Governments to reduce the current level of post-harvest losses by half by 2025 as part of the 2014 Malabo Declaration.
VA: Can you tell us more about how you intend to curb post-harvest loss in Africa with emphasis on Nigeria?
MB: The Rockefeller Foundation has launched the YieldWise initiative, a $130 million initiative with an aim of allowing African countries to invest in reducing post-harvest loss. Food loss and waste is an all-inclusive problem, eliminating it requires an all-inclusive solution that looks across the global food system to identify where the biggest losses occur and provide incentives for solving the problems at the root. With large multinational companies like the Coca-Cola Company and Dangote as key collaborators, the initiative will focus on linking small and big businesses that can mutually benefit from diversified sources for products and enhanced markets.
The Rockefeller Foundation will use its existing networks and history in Africa to achieve its post-harvest loss management loss goals. Farmers and companies alike are poised to reap multiple benefits from solutions – and where our progress can be most demonstrable. The farmers are also trained on how to use proven technologies that preserve crops in harvest, packaging and distribution – and by introducing alternative markets much loss can be prevented.
Some of the interventions already rolled out include engagements with the private sector, which has so much to gain from being part of the solution such as partnerships with major food buyers including Coca-Cola and Dangote.
VA: What informed your choice on tomatoes in Nigeria as opposed to maize and mangoes?
MB: Nigeria is the second largest tomato producing country in Africa with a production of 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum with an estimated demand of 2.5 million metric tonnes. Unfortunately, 50 percent of the harvested tomatoes go bad after harvest. This is mainly because of the use of raffia baskets that are piled on top of each other and the lack of cooling tracks during long-distance transportation to other states like Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Port Harcourt. As a result, Nigeria leads in the importation of tomato paste, which amounts to $360 million.
Ironically, Nigeria tops the list in tomato paste importation with approximately 300,000 tonnes worth $360 million recorded in 2015. This is why private sector players like the Dangote Farms Limited launched a processing plant with an aim of not managing post-harvest loss in tomatoes but to also create employment and build farmers economically.
VA: Can you tell us more about how you intend to curb post-harvest loss in Cassava in Nigeria?
MB: Cassava is critical to food security in Africa, acting as the main source of nutrition for approximately half of the continent’s population, or 500 million people. Further, cassava is a major source of income for rural communities: smallholder farmers in Africa produce more than half the world’s cassava, an estimated 158 million tonnes, annually.
Despite the crop’s importance, massive amounts of cassava are spoiled each year. In Nigeria, the largest producer on the continent – accounting for 20 percent of all production, or 53 million tonnes – the problem is particularly acute. In Nigeria alone, it is estimated that 40 percent of total cassava produce is lost due to spoilage. Put another way, almost half of the country’s output is completely wasted, leading to large foregone opportunities in farmer income and rural socioeconomic development.
As a result, the Rockefeller Foundation in partnership with Dalberg Global Development Advisors and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture launched a $1 million Cassava Innovation Challenge aimed at spurring ideas to increase the shelf life of cassava in Nigeria and globally. The Challenge seeks to significantly reduce cassava spoilage in Nigeria. Reducing spoilage has the potential to increase smallholder farmers’ incomes (cassava is mainly farmed by smallholder farmers) and increase the efficiency of the entire cassava industry while providing greater access to nutrition to the Nigerian people. The $1 million Cassava Innovation Challenge aims at spurring ideas to increase the shelf life of cassava in Nigeria and globally.
Through the YieldWise initiative, cassava is a focus crop, given its importance to the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers and their families, and the significant amount that is lost due to spoilage. Cassava’s short shelf life is also identified as one of the most critical bottlenecks that must be addressed in order to reduce its loss significantly.
VA: Apart from training partners on PHL mitigation technologies is there any other incentive for the farmers?
MB: For the tomato value chain, we are working with our partners on the ground to roll out various market access initiatives, we are also looking at developing new varieties of the tomato that can withstand heavy rainfall, disease and pests like the Chibili and Kilele varieties.
We also launched the $1 million cassava innovation challenge in May this year with an aim of coming up with out of the box innovative ideas that will spur ideas to increase the shelf life of cassava in Nigeria and globally. The challenge is coming to a close with the finalists to be announced at the end of November. Once we identify the best innovative ideas we shall roll them out in Nigeria.
VA: Don’t you think giving farmers access to markets such as the Dangote Farms Limited who are currently the buying partners of tomatoes could lead to tomato shortage in the country?
MB: The Dangote Farms Limited launched a processing plant with an aim of not managing post-harvest loss in tomatoes but to also create employment and build farmers economically. Providing farmers with access to market enables the farmer to sell off bumper harvest and promotes cultivation of surplus yields.
Lack of access to market not only affects the farmer’s financial ability but also reduces amounts of yield cultivated. The Rockefeller Foundation is currently working with its partners to develop new varieties that can withstand heavy rainfall as well disease and pest attacks, which as a result will promote an increase in the harvest of tomato.
By providing a ready market for the farmer, you provide financial stability and encouragement to cultivate more. The demand for tomato in Nigeria can never reduce as it is considered a key ingredient for most of the culinary dishes.
