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The causes of food losses and waste in low-income countries are mainly connected to financial, managerial and technical limitations in harvesting techniques, storage and cooling facilities in difficult climatic conditions, infrastructure, packaging and marketing systems. Given that many smallholder farmers in developing countries live on the margins of food insecurity, a reduction in food losses could have an immediate and significant impact on their livelihoods.

The food supply chains in developing countries need to be strengthened by, inter alia, encouraging small farmers to organize and to diversify and upscale their production and marketing. Investments in infrastructure, transportation, food industries and packaging industries are also required. Both the public and private sectors have a role to play in achieving this.

-- FAO, Save Food!, 2011--



  1. Key Resource 2001-01-01 Often the biggest challenge faced by a tropical farmer is not in the production of a crop but rather in the preservation of the crop. Farmers may want to preserve a crop for future consumption or for sale at a time when the market will offer a higher price. Using a solar dehydrator is a simple,...
  2. 2000-06-20 Instructions for making onion powder. This processing would be for long-term storage and for the economic advantage of selling the processed onions at a greater price when fresh onions are no longer available.
  3. 2005-10-01 In Cassava Cyanide Diseases News (CCDN), Issue 4,December 2004, Dr. J. Howard Bradbury wrote about a method of processing cassava that could substantially reduce the cyanide content of flour.
  4. 1996-10-19 The goal of most agricultural development is to improve people's nutrition, with an increase in quality, quantity, and diversity of food produced. Each issue of ECHO Development Notes discusses plants and techniques which can enable farmers to produce more food of higher nutritional value. Beyond...
  5. 1997-01-01 This is a comprehensive guide to the processing of traditional foods, from Asia, Africa and Latin America, which are made and sold at a small commercial scale of operation. It provides technical information needed by small food businesses to introduce or upgrade their processes and products, and...
  6. Since 1939, IFT has been advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system by creating a dynamic forum where individuals from more than 90 countries can collaborate, learn, and grow, transforming scientific knowledge into innovative solutions for the benefit of...
  7. Abstract, International Journal of Food Science, 2020 Some tropical countries in the Southeast Asia are rich in exotic fruits with worldwide acceptance, such as mango, orange, snake fruit, durian, jackfruit, rambutan, and avocado. In addition to their abundant production, those fruits are also...
  8. Key Resource 2000-01-20 This book, PERMACOPIA THREE; AN INVENTORY, is a study of many popular foods, plus some less known, multipurpose plants. The species in this book have been chosen for their acceptance, availability, utility, & their relative lack of rampancy. Included are species for fruit, vegetable, greens,...
  9. 2019-11-26 Session: The presentation will discuss perennial vegetables, traditional nutrient dense vegetables, and their important role in improving nutrition at the household level. This presentation will focus on multiplication and distribution of plants that are very nutritious for human consumption....
  10. USDA Extension Service used to have home canning directions for lye hominy. This procedure was removed from the publications in the 1980's due to poor availability of food grade lye, concerns over the safety of handling lye in the home, and lack of popular interest. The directions have remained...
  11. 1981-01-01 This publication tells how to garden organically and includes some recipes.
  12. Key Resource 1994-01-01 This book looks at milk processing, traditional methods and products, improving milk processing technologies, socio-economic considers and includes case studies.
  13. 2012-09-04 The cofounders of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company take you through more than 125 vegan recipes that are healthy and easy to make. They share tips and tricks on canning and preserving, as well as provide a list of pantry staples to have on hand.
  14. Cereal banks can be an effective way to tackle food insecurity. This guide contains step-by-step advice on how to set up and run a cereal bank. Cereal banks are community-based institutions that buy, store and sell basic food grains. Most cereal banks offer farmers the opportunity to store their...
  15. Abstract, Nigerian Food Journal, 2013 This study evaluated the effects of substitutingwheat flourwith defatted Jackbean flourand Jack bean protein concentrate on bread quality. Jack bean flour milled from the seed nibs was defatted with n-hexane and part of the defatted flour (DJF) extracted in...
  16. New technologies have enabled agricultural products to be turned into a wide range of food commodities. These activities can enable food to have a longer shelf-life and can provide income generation opportunities to support the millions of poor families who can no longer make a living from the...
  17. 2006-01-20 There are many excellent texts available which cover the fundamentals of food engineering, equipment design, modelling of food processing operations etc. There are also several very good works in food science and technology dealing with the chemical composition, physical properties, nutritional...
  18. 1999-01-01 This book is not a conventional book of home preserves. Procedures for preserving 50 products without refirgeration are described, using easy techniques, few resources, and natural methods without chemical additives. The procedures include: drying in the sun, fermentation, preservation by heat...
  19. 2013-09-06 Small-scale food processing is important worldwide. For individual processors, it is highly accessible as a start-up business, especially for women; farmers and fishermen can readily diversify into processing to increase their incomes; and high added-value enables processors to earn an income...
  20. 1998-01-01 Training in food processing can open up opportunities for individuals who lack business experience, by providing training in costing and marketing a new product. This book offers a blueprint for such comprehensive training. It first explains the importance of needs assessment, course preparation,...
  21. 2017-11-14 Growing, harvesting, preserving and marketing food that benefits from chilling or freezing is no easy process. Middlemen, lack of education, poor technology transfer, difficult or non-existent agriculture credit, unclear market linkages, tradition, volume and production inconsistencies, lack of...
  22. Growing, harvesting, preserving and marketing food that benefits from chilling or freezing is no easy process. Middlemen, lack of education, poor technology transfer, difficult or non-existent agriculture credit, unclear market linkages, tradition, volume and production inconsistencies, lack of...
  23. Food preservation has become a part and parcel of the life of a common man. Food preservation is inevitable owing to many reasons. Some foods such as fruits and vegetables are available in specific seasons and not in others, while other foods are more abundantly available in some season than in...
  24. An international journal of small-scale food processing and food supply management ISSN 2046-1887 (Print) 2046-1879 (Online) Food Chainis an international journal for all those involved in developing the supply of high-quality foods from ‘farm gate to plate’ and those who use food...
  25. Access Agriculture Training Video In this video we learn the important steps needed to produce good quality yoghurt, whether for home consumption or for sale. Available languages Arabic Ateso Bambara Bangla Chichewa / Nyanja Chitonga / Tonga English French Kalenjin Kikuyu Kiswahili Luganda Luo...
  26. Key Resource 1993-11-01 This source book describes the traditional methods of fish processing and then looks at new and improved techniques which in most cases can be constructed locally. Types of processing covered include drying, salting, smoking and fermenting.
  27. Key Resource 1994-12-01 Focuses on the processing of four cereals - maize (or corn), rice, sorghum, and wheat. A useful guide for those intending to set up a cereal-processing enterprise. Topics include harvesting, threshing, storage, milling, hulling, baking and fermenting. (Food cycle Technology Source Books)
  28. Key Resource 1993-09-01 Offers guidance on the selection of appropriate equipment for small businesses, with case studies and technical information about each type of machine. For field workers training for food processing projects, and their trainers, and the non-specialist.
  29. Access Agriculture Training Video Although rice is highly nutritious, a lot of the quality is lost during processing. This results in poor-quality rice on the market, so consumers turn to imported rice. In this video you can learn about parboiling, a way to improve the quality of rice by treating...
  30. POSTHARVEST FOOD LOSS OR FOOD WASTE? Recently issues of global food losses and food waste have been making the news, with estimates of 30 to 40% of all the food produced on earth going to waste before it can be consumed. Global food losses and waste (sometimes referred to as FLW) vary widely...
  31. Nutrient contents in foods can vary significantly because: of environmental, genetic and processing influences such as feed, soil, climate, genetic resources (varieties/cultivars, breeds), storage conditions, processing, fortification and market share; each country has its own consumption pattern...
  32. 2015-11-17 Peanut Butter! Hot sauce! Dried fruit! Goat jerky!? Adding value to agricultural products by preserving, processing, and/or packaging them can be very tempting when one considers only the selling price. This workshop will engage participants to consider how adding value can also add risk. Sharpen...
  33. Shea butter is an ivory colored or yellowish fat that is extracted from nuts of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), which is found in West Africa. Shea butter is used in cosmetics including moisturizer as well as foods such as chocolate. Additionally, it has been used in medicinal ointments....
  34. Key Resource 1993-12-01 Offers the non-specialist an insight into the ranges of methods and equipment available for preserving products, increasing the quality and range of foodstuffs and indicating where the hazards are when setting up a small food processing concern.
  35. Key Resource 2003-04-29 This guide provides development workers and small-scale entrepreneurs with the basic information and advice that they need to set up a small-scale food processing enterprise. Part one considers the food processes that are suitable for different crops including fruit and vegetable products; cereal...
  36. Low-cost drying technologies suitable for rural farming areas are presented. Some of the important considerations with regard to their suitability include: 1. Low initial capital; 2. easy-to-operate with no complicated electronic/ mechanical protocol, and 3. effective in promoting better drying...
  37. Access Agriculture Training Videos Dried mango crisps are a tasty and a healthy snack that can be sold even out of season at a good price. Available languages Bambara English French Kiswahili Peulh / Fulfuldé / Pulaar Twi Wolof
  38. Access Agriculture Training Video Green gram or mung bean seed and grains need special care during harvesting and storage. Coat the seed with vegetable oil and store them in an earthen pot. Add neem leaves and dry red chillies. Cover the pot with a cotton cloth and a wire mesh to keep out...
  39. Access Agriculture Training Video Women in Benin show us that there are three important things: select good groundnut varieties, follow good harvest and postharvest practices, and use good processing methods. Available languages Arabic Bambara Bemba Burmese Chichewa / Nyanja Chitonga / Tonga...
  40. 2007-01-01 This 8-page fold-out leaflet, practical for use in the field and easy to read, covers the subject of preserving green leafy vegetables and fruits. It gives some background information on the subject, outlines the relevant processes and provides tips, tables and explanatory line drawings.
  41. The mission of this journal is to timely present the results of the research activities in Food Science and Technology, coupling innovation with an eye on sustainability. Sharing the results of research activities between researchers of public institutions and industrial R&D departments,...
  42. This Agrodok (#3) is meant to be a practical manual giving a review of the simple techniques used to preserve fruits and vegetables. The general introduction deals with the principles of spoilage prevention. Following this, the various methods of preserving are explained, and the main points of...
  43. Gowda NAN, Siliveru K, Prasad PVV, Bhatt Y, Netravati BP, Gurikar C. Modern Processing of Indian Millets: A Perspective on Changes in Nutritional Properties. Foods. 2022 Feb 9;11(4):499. doi: 10.3390/foods11040499. PMID: 35205975; PMCID: PMC8871339. Globally, billions of people are experiencing...
  44. The UC Davis chimney solar dryer was designed to provide efficient drying even in hazy or partially cloudy conditions. Constructing the dryer is simple, and it can be built from low-cost materials found locally in markets and shops around the world. The objective of this manual is to provide the...