Improving food security in sub-Saharan Africa by reducing food losses and improving agri-food chain efficiency There is huge potential and interest in African countries to develop their agro-food industries and reduce food losses. Interpack is in a unique position to assist African countries and African entrepreneurs to achieve this goal. What can Interpack do? •Hold regular trade fairs in Africa to foster linkages with African companies and entrepreneurs. •Investigate the options for collaborative ventures/research to design appropriate processing and packaging equipment for African agro-industries ©FAO/Robert van Otterdijk

1. R o b e r t v a n O t t e r d i j k
IMPROVING FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
BY REDUCING FOOD LOSSES AND IMPROVING
AGRI-FOOD CHAIN EFFICIENCY
Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

2. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
1 Total quantitative food loss in SSA: 100 million MT/year
2 For grains alone, the value of losses USD 4 billion/per year
3 This can meet the annual caloric requirements of at least 48 million people
4 It exceeds the value of grain imports for Africa and exceeds the value of
total food aid received in SSA over the past decade.
The magnitude of the problem

3. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Strategies for reducing food losses are being adjusted
Rapid population growth: 2.1 billion by 2050, 25% of the world’s
population.
Rapid urbanization: SSA has the highest urban growth rate in the world
and the urban population is expected to triple by 2050.
Trends in consumption: increasing demand for processed and
convenience foods

4. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Strategies for reducing food losses are being adjusted
Growing influence of private sector enterprises.
Demographic transition: the share of youth in Africa is the highest in the
world.
More than half of Africans are under 25
11 million will join the labour market every year

5. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Population in Sub-Saharan Africa
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1980 1990 2000 2010* 2020* 2030*
numberofpopulation(millions)
Population in Sub-Saharan Africa
rural population
urban population
Source: FAOSTAT

6. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Investment in the agricultural sector
Cumulative investments in Africa’s agricultural sector until 2050 are estimated
at USD 940 billion. 50% required in agribusiness and agro-industries
To be achieved through partnership with the private sector
Dialogue and linkages between governments and the private sector through
various agro-industry fora and multi-stakeholder platforms e.g. AGRF, EMRC

7. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
ITEM Sub-Saharan Africa
1. Primary Production (including irrigation &
mechanization)
496
2. Downstream Support Services (storage; markets &
first stage processing)
444
TOTAL 940
Source: Capital Requirements for Agriculture in Developing Countries to 2050, FAO, Rome, 2009
Cumulative Investments to 2050 in billion US$
Capital requirements to Overcome Hunger

8. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Challenges in reducing food losses
Agriculture is still predominantly smallholder based. Lack of understanding of
‘Farming as a Business’
The agro-industries sector : large scale (multi-national), micro-scale (informal
household) and ‘missing middle’.
Limited access to processing equipment and PACKAGING MATERIALS.

9. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Food Security through Commercialization of Agriculture (FSCA)
FAO/Government of Italy Cooperative Programme since 2007.
In Africa covers 14 countries.
Transform agriculture into a modern and competitive sector through:
• Increased market-oriented production/productivity
• Reduced post-harvest/food losses
• Enhanced value addition
• Promotion of food safety/quality standards
• Improved market efficiency

10. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Food security through commercialization of agriculture
Some achievements of FSCA
• In East Africa, project supports about 47,000 people, grouped in 374 FOs/co-ops
• 30% have been upgraded into formal FOs/co-ops,
• Market transactions increased by 35% for targeted FOs and SMEs
• Income at household level increased by approximately 30%
• Cross border trade enhanced for selected commodities
• Access to credit enhanced (1 M USD in Burundi; USD 300,000 in Uganda)
FSCA is considered a flagship programme by the Italian Government and will be promoted
during the Italian Presidency of the EU

11. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
FAO FACILITATING ROLE: THE EXAMPLE OF THE DAIRY VALUE CHAIN IN UGANDA
Input Supply Centre
One of the dairy farms in Kisoro
supported by the project
FAO partnerships
Training in basic veterinary services
delivered by AFRISA to extension services
of NAADS
SOUTH SUDAN
BURUNDI
DR CONGO
UGANDA
RWANDA
Packed milk ready for sale
Financial institutions
providing credit (loans
and other services)
through Rubuguri
SACCO
Veterinary drugs and
insecticides Rudafa’s initiative
with support from FAO
Rubuguri Dairy Cooperative
(160 households)
Birunga Dairy Farm Industries
The milk collection
centre of Rubuguri
Dairy Cooperative,
Kisoro, equipped with
a milk cooler by FAO
A milk tanker provided
by FAO. Farmers
purchased a truck for
mounting the milk
tanker with 50 percent
contribution from FAO
The price of quality
milk amounts to 500
Ug Shs in the
community , from
200 Ug Shs before
the project
Presently, an average of
20 000 liters are delivered to
the Dairy Corporation each
month (out of which 6 000
liters to Birunga Dairy Farm
Industries)
END
MARKET
Constraints being addressed:
- Lack of a cooling unit at the Rubuguri Collection
Centre;
- Lack of milk tanker and truck for transportation of
the milk to the processing plant;
- Poor access to dairy farm inputs;
- Inadequate extension services to the dairy farmers;
- Inadequate animal husbandry and business skills;
- Poor access to finance services.

12. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
FSCA: facilitating the dairy value chain in Uganda
Quality check of milk delivered at the
collection centre of Rubuguri Dairy
Cooperative, Kisoro, Uganda

13. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
FSCA: Fruit processing in Guinea
Recycling bottles and jars in Guinea

14. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
FSCA: adding value to pineapple in Rwanda

15. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
FSCA: Food processing training centre in Senegal

16. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
FSCA: marketing processed food products in The Gambia

17. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Main challenges for FSCA approach
1. Time required for VC and enterprise development often goes beyond project duration
2. Reluctance in changing the mind-set and shift from production/ productivity increase
3. Government staff turnover and different levels in implementation capacity at local level
4. Reluctance in understanding business management
5. Enabling environment for private sector development
6. Market development requires full engagement from all stakeholders
7. Difficulty in ensuring constant supply of raw materials in terms of quantity and quality

18. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Recommendations for Interpack
There is huge potential and interest in African countries to develop their agro-food
industries and reduce food losses. Interpack is in a unique position to assist African
countries and African entrepreneurs to achieve this goal. What can Interpack do?
• Hold regular trade fairs in Africa to foster linkages with African companies and
entrepreneurs.
• Investigate the options for collaborative ventures/research to design appropriate
processing and packaging equipment for African agro-industries.

19. Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Thank you!
R ober t v an Otter dijk