Formulating Sustainable Strategies on Post harvest Losses and Food Security in Nigeria

Abstract

Post-harvest food losses and waste have been identified as a significant threat to efforts directed at achieving sustainable food security in Nigeria. This study investigated the causes, consequences, and strategies for reducing post-harvest food losses and seeks for measures to enable the achievement of food security in Nigeria. It adopts a qualitative approach, analyzing patterns and deriving outcomes relevant to the Nigerian environment as well as exploring requisite literature on the subject matter through review of reports from relevant agencies as well as perspectives of non-governmental organizations with interests on the challenge of food security in Nigeria. The findings reveal that inadequate food handling practices by farmers as well as consumers, limited and poor storage facilities, market challenges and inefficient supply chain all contribute to post-harvest losses implications on farmers income and livelihood, food scarcity, high food prices amongst other concerns. The study recommends the review of farming systems, from pre planting, handling of post-harvest proceeds, storage and preservation of harvest proceeds, investing in cold storage facilities, enhancing market access, and strengthening regulatory frameworks. It is recommended that implementing these strategies can reduce post-harvest losses, improve food availability, and contribute to sustainable food security in Nigeria.

Keywords: Food Losses, Food Security, Cold Storage, Farming Systems and Livelihoods