Table 1 Summary of the PHL reduction interventions evidence-base for SSA and South Asia
Technically effective interventions | Critical gaps in the evidence-base | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Technologies, tools and equipment | Handling practices | ||
Cereals | Maize storage: in hermetic containers or admixed with some synthetic chemicals or DEs Wheat, rice or sorghum storage: in hermetic containers or underground pits, or admixed with some synthetic chemicals, botanicals or DEs | Timely harvesting, protecting crops from direct ground contact while drying | • Interventions for loss reduction in the non-storage activity stages • Any evaluation of training, policy, infrastructure, finance interventions on loss reduction • Effects of sanitation, grain cleaning and timing of activities on subsequent losses • Verified measured socio-economic or environmental outcomes of the uptake of different PHL reduction interventions at any scale • Factors facilitating and constraining the adoption of PHL reduction interventions • Stakeholder participation in the study of interventions to facilitate co-innovation and co-learning, and the need for more real-world scale on-farm participatory studies • Standardized loss measurement metrics • Consistency of intervention results confirmed through multiseason and multilocation studies |
Legumes | Storage in hermetic containers or admixed with synthetic chemicals, botanicals, DEs or edible oil | Protecting crops from direct ground contact while drying, sorting to remove mouldy grains | |
Roots and tubers | Use of digging tools that reduce harvesting damage, use of improved storage containers, ventilated storage, evaporative cool storage, cold storage, sprout suppressants | Piecemeal harvesting, curing, sorting to remove damaged roots or tubers, avoidance of rough handling, use of maturity indices | |
Fruits | Harvesting poles/pickers, use of improved packaging, waxing (alone or with fungicides or botanicals), hot-water treatments, evaporative cool storage, cold storage, ripening treatments | Use of maturity indices, gentle harvesting and handling, sorting to remove damaged fruits | |
Vegetables | Use of improved packaging, evaporative cool storage, ventilated storage (onions), cold storage | Gentle handling, curing (onions) | |
