Speaker
Description
Keywords: food systems, food loss, arable crop farmers, food security
1 Introduction
Despite the plethora of publications on food loss, some knowledge gaps remain. More data on this topic are needed to understand the underlying causes of this phenomenon in both developed and developing countries (Chauhan et al., 2021). Most studies have been conducted in high-income countries, resulting in limited data from other regions. In developing countries, significant arable crop loss occurs during the production and distribution stages; however, less than 35% of the annual global studies on food loss have focused on these stages (Xue et al., 2017). In this study, food loss is referred to as any food that is originally planned or cultivated for human consumption but omitted (irrespective of the alternative purpose) between the production and distribution stages (FAO, 2011).
Food loss has contributed to the current food crisis in developing countries such as Nigeria. Current statistics indicate that this issue has significantly worsened food crises, leading to food scarcity. In terms of food security, Nigeria is ranked 25th among the 28 African countries (The Economist Impact 2022). Of the studies conducted globally on food loss between 2016 and 2022, Nigeria was classified among the top ten countries with the most case studies (Rolker et al., 2022). Paradoxically, millions of people suffer from hunger and malnutrition in a country in which food is lost. Given this context and the global interest in finding a sustainable solution to the problem, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted as part of a PhD project. The objective of this review is to explore the research profile for food loss based on specific crops, where food loss is most experienced, the drivers of these losses, and the consequences of food loss.
2 Method
The SLR was conducted to provide a comprehensive overview of existing knowledge on food loss in Nigeria. Eligible articles for the review included all studies on food loss until 2023, which were written in English, focused on the plant-based sector, and were conducted in Nigeria. The initial search from the Web of Science yielded 141 articles. The final articles were chosen based on their comprehensiveness within the scope of this study. Data search and extraction were performed between August and September 2023. After the final round of full-text screening, 23 articles were deemed relevant, and full-text was assessed for their quality and relevance. Finally, the content of the identified articles was read and analysed, and consequently, different themes were identified.
3 Findings
Most of the studies were from the 2000s; the first was in 2002, and the highest number of articles was found in 2021 (four) and 2022 (six studies). One study each was identified in 2002, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2020. This signifies the publication on the topic of food loss at least every two to three years since 2000. This also means that publications on food loss have grown steadily over the last decade.
The predominant crops studied included maize, rice, and cassava. These crops are classified as “priority crops and are largely consumed across the country from the northern to the southern regions.
Only five studies adopted qualitative research techniques. Additionally, of these five articles, only one adopted a qualitative research method. In contrast, most studies have adopted quantitative research methods.
The information extracted from these studies revealed that the causes of food loss include the incidence of pests and diseases, inappropriate farming practices, lack of data, lack of education and training, lack of social and physical infrastructure, and climatic conditions. Most arable crop farmers experience losses from the production to distribution stages. Although the extent of loss differs based on the types of crops grown, the production stage is the most critical stage of loss that is common to all farmers, irrespective of the crops they cultivate. The consequences of this loss are the low return on farmers' investment, the prevalence of hunger, and consequently, rural-urban migration, especially among rural youths.
4 Conclusion
Findings from the SLR show that studies on food loss in Nigeria have increased over the past decade. The losses are most severe at the production stage. Some of the causes of food loss include lack of technology and infrastructure, the incidence of pests and diseases, climate variability, use of inappropriate farm practices, and lack of education and training. Consequently, this leads to low returns on farmers' investment, the prevalence of hunger, and rural-urban migration. Although there has been an increase in publications, few qualitative studies have examined this problem from the farmers’ perspective. Notably, this is because farmers are the most important actors in food loss reduction efforts, as they make different farming decisions that could either increase or reduce loss. Furthermore, no study has attempted to use existing theories to investigate the reasons for persistent food loss. Therefore, the next phase of the study adopted qualitative research techniques and the concept of valuation to explore the motivations, perceptions, and practices that influence actors' contributions to food loss.
References
Chauhan, C., Dhir, A., Akram, M. U., & Salo, J. (2021a). Food loss and waste in food supply chains. A systematic literature review and framework development approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126438.
FAO. (2011). Global Food Losses and Food Waste-Extent, Causes and Prevention Bio-LCA: Biodiversity indicators for life cycle assessments in forestry and agriculture View project FAFSynt-Future.
GRFC. (2022). Global Report on Food Crises. FSIN Food Security Information Network.
Rolker, H., Eisler, M., Cardenas, L., Deeney, M., & Takahashi, T. (2022). Food waste interventions in low-and-middle-income countries: A systematic literature review. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 186, 106534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106534.
The Economist Impact. (2022). The Global Food Security Index (GFSI). Country report: Nigeria.
Xue, L., Liu, G., Parfitt, J., Liu, X., van Herpen, E., Stenmarck, Å., O’Connor, C., Östergren, K., & Cheng, S. (2017). Missing Food, Missing Data? A Critical Review of Global Food Losses and Food Waste Data. Environmental Science and Technology, 51(12), 6618–6633. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b00401
