Post-harvest loss reduction: a value chain perspective on the role of post-harvest management in attaining economically and environmentally sustainable food chains

This paper was written by experts from Wageningen University & Research (WUR), representing their combined expertise on food chains, post-harvest technology, sustainability, food security, economics, and food safety. The paper was drafted at the request of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give insight in the potential impact of post-harvest management (PHM) on a selected number of societal themes. The themes that are considered relevant within the domestic and international political context for global economic development and social stability, are successively: 1) food security, 2) food safety, 3) economic revenues, 4) employment, and 5) climate footprint. This paper presents the outcome of an exercise to combine the relevant expertise1) related to the topic of post-harvest management and in the context of reducing food losses in the post-harvest chain. The objective of the paper is to provide insight in the effects of the deployment of resources for the strengthening of post-harvest management on the mentioned themes.