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Determinants of Yam Postharvest Management in the Zabzugu District of Northern Ghana 时间:2017-09-12 12:41 来源:未知作者:admin 点击: 次 Abstract:Postharvest loss reduction has received attention in many policy documents across nations to ensure global food security, particularly in developing countries. Many researchers have examined various options for reducing postharvest losses. We contribute our quota to this scientific discourse by using a different approach. We argue that the human element of managing postharvest loss is central and therefore poses the question of what are the characteristics of the farmer who manages postharvest losses better. We examine this question by using a cross section of yam farmers in the Zabzugu district in Northern Ghana and generate a proportional variable called postharvest management, which measures how effective a farmer works to reduce storage losses. We then use a fractional logistic regression model to examine the determinants of postharvest management. A significant result is that subsistence farmers manage postharvest losses better than commercial farmers. Characteristically, the farmer who effectively manages postharvest losses is a young, subsistence farmer, living in or close to a district capital with fewer household members, has attained formal education, and produces more yam. Efforts to reduce postharvest losses require the provision of access roads to remote towns or providing effective storage techniques and training on postharvest management practices.
1. Introduction
Recent trends in global food markets indicate that unless serious attention is given to postharvest losses, the possibility of feeding over 9 billion people in 2020 and beyond is shrouded in uncertainty. This attention is even more crucial in developing countries where postharvest losses are high. In the year 2011, [1] estimated that within 20%–40% of fresh foods are lost during and after harvesting of major staple crops. This report comes many years after the World Food Conference convened in Rome in 1974, which drew attention to the concept of reducing postharvest food loss as a strategic and significant means to increase food availability. According to Bourne [2] and Hodges et al. [3], one of the most important pathways to increase food availability is to reduce food loss and waste. Goldsmith et al. [4] further stipulate that preventing food loss and increasing production are the two realistic alternatives by which the world can meet its ever rising food demand, but increased food production actually comes from preventing losses. In the opinion of [5], postharvest losses impose both economic and environmental impacts.
In Ghana, root and tuber crops such as yam and cassava are important food security crops. Next to cereals, roots and tubers serve as important staples to a significant portion of the Ghanaian populace. However, one challenge that limits the success of these crops in improving food security is postharvest losses, and genuine concerns have been raised about these issues. A survey on postharvest losses conducted by [2] reproduced a table from FAO on postharvest losses across the major regions of the world and found that postharvest losses in Sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to be 18%. This figure is substantial, considering the fact that, for every 100 tons of root and tuber crops produced, 18 tons is lost through postharvest handling. Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in 2008 conducted a baseline survey on harvest and postharvest (HPH) losses among major crops across some regions, and the general finding was that postharvest losses were prohibitively high. Lack of appropriate processing facilities, postharvest storage techniques, and management practices are responsible for the large postharvest losses. Recent news items by prominent personalities in Ghana, for example, the Minister for Environment, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Oteng-Adjei, in 2013 expressed great worry that close to 50% of food produced for consumption fails to reach the intended user due to postharvest losses. He recounted that about $ 340,000.00 is lost annually in postharvest losses due to poor postharvest management. This reechoes the calls by the numerous food security activists who are calling for a concerted effort to reduce postharvest losses.
Broadly defined, postharvest loss is a collective term for food losses all the way along the food production chain, from harvest and handling through storage and processing to packing and transportation [3, 6]. The causes of postharvest losses are varied and complex, depending on several factors including the weather and regional and crop differences, and in the developing world the most significant variables include lack of proper storage [7], inadequate transportation infrastructure, and limited or no information on where or how food is lost. In the context of this study, yam postharvest loss is defined as the quantity of yam tubers that are lost from the time of harvest until the produce gets to the final user (which could be the consumer or industrial user). It is important to note that postharvest loss so defined is a function of the postharvest management practices adopted by the individual farmer.