1st AFRICA POSTHARVEST CONGRESS & EXHIBITIONTHEME: REDUCING FOOD LOSSES AND WASTE: SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR AFRICA.
To realize these objectives, the conference theme has been unpacked into five subthemes to effectively cover the actor’s interests and functions in various food supply chains. The five subthemes are as follows.
- Perishable food crop commodities (fruits, vegetables, roots & tubers, edible fungi). Various aspects including postharvest loss assessment methods and data, technologies, practices, strategies, investment, policies, cases studies, success stories will be discussed and show-cased including but not limited to
- Cold chain management technologies; storage technologies; packaging technologies; agro-processing/value addition; quality preservation technologies; postharvest pest/disease management; reuse/recycling/valorization options; traceability systems; food safety, labeling/dating of packaged and processed foods; market access strategies for smallholder farmers
- Emerging technologies with the potential for postharvest preservation of food in Africa such as solar/wind refrigeration, nanotechnology, active and intelligent packaging; biological control for pest and diseases; innovative information and communication Technologies (ICT)
- Perishable livestock and fishery food products (including milk, meat, eggs, fish). Various aspects including postharvest loss assessment methods and data, technologies, practices, strategies, investment, policies, cases studies, success stories will be discussed and show-cased including but not limited to
- Cold chain management technologies; storage technologies; packaging technologies; agro-processing/value addition; quality preservation technologies; reuse/recycling/valorization options; traceability systems; food safety, labeling/dating of packaged and processed foods; market access strategies for smallholder farmers
- Emerging technologies with the potential for postharvest preservation of food in Africa such as solar/wind refrigeration, nanotechnology, active and intelligent packaging; biological control for pest and diseases; innovative information and communication Technologies (ICT)
- Non-perishable food commodities (grains, including cereals and pulses, processed foods). Various aspects including postharvest loss assessment methods and data, technologies, practices, strategies, investment, policies, cases studies, success stories will be discussed and show-cased including but not limited to
- Storage technologies, processing, postharvest pest management, aflatoxin management, reuse/recycling/valorization options, traceability systems, reuse/recycling/valorization options, food safety, labeling/dating of packaged and processed foods
- Emerging technologies with the potential for postharvest preservation of food in Africa Including nanotechnology, hermetic storage, active and intelligent packaging; innovative information and communication Technologies (ICT)
- Capacity development including training, education, research and extension/outreach programs
- Farmers training programs, training of trainers, on-line training programs, farmer field schools, curricula and training approaches; innovative ICT training approaches
- Postharvest training and research programs (Msc. M.Phil. and Ph. D.) at universities and tertiary level institutions in Africa
- Gender, Policy and Governance issues affecting postharvest management
- Including gender considerations in postharvest technology development, role of women in postharvest management; enabling policies for postharvest loss management, effect national/regional/ global strategies for FLW reduction