The First Africa-wide Postharvest Food Loss Reduction Conference and

Exhibition

28^th to 31^st March 2017 at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya

According to the United Nations, the world population is predicted to hit the 9 billion mark by the year 2050. During the same period, Africa’s population is expected to double from the current 1.2 billion to 2.5 billion. To meet the food and nutrition needs of this rising population, food production (under the current trends) will have to increase by 70%. Increasing production requires additional resources (land, water, energy, and other agro-inputs) that are scarce and inelastic. One strategy for increasing the food available to feed the ever-increasing population is to ensure proper and better utilization of the food that is already produced. It is estimated that one third (30%) of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted along the supply chains globally. Proportionately this translates into 1.3 billion metric tons of the total volume of the food produced. Food Losses and Waste (FLW) negatively impact food security, nutrition and economic stability (Food Import bill). Reduction of FLW is an important and viable strategy to ensure food and nutritional security in efficient and sustainable food systems. It has become even more critical as most countries appreciate the futility of increasing production (using limited resources) to make up for the lost food. There are concerted efforts to reduce FLW as reflected in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 12.3) and the Malabo declaration by the African Union’s heads of state. In both cases there is a commitment to halve the postharvest losses from the current levels by the year 2030 and 2025 respectively. The good news is that there are proven technologies and strategies to effectively reduce the postharvest losses. However the technologies remain largely under-utilized due to various factors including lack of awareness; unaffordability; and lack of access due to limited distribution and emergent policy constraints

Against this background, the World Food Preservation Center® LLC (WFPC) in conjunction with its sister University (University of Nairobi) and a consortium of Universities and Research & Development Institutions in Africa are organizing the First Africa-wide Postharvest Loss Reduction Conference and Exhibition. The conference whose theme is Reducing Food Losses and Waste: Sustainable Solutions for Africa is the first of its kind to be held in Africa. The conference will provide an excellent platform for researchers, academics, farmers, industry, development agencies, civil society and policy makers to learn, share information, build networks and partnerships with the overall objective of identifying effective interventions to reduce FLW on the continent. The specific objectives of the conference are:

1. To raise awareness on food losses and waste through data and information sharing.
2. To document the impact of postharvest food loss and waste on food and nutrition in Africa.
3. To identify and disseminate effective and appropriate technologies and practices for FLW reduction in the African context.
4. To identify postharvest “Skill Gaps” and “Technology Gaps” in Africa’s higher education and extension systems
5. To identify effective multi-stakeholder strategies and policy interventions for FLW reduction
6. To provide a platform for participants to build networks and partnerships for resource mobilization and other activities geared towards FLW reduction
7. To generate a comprehensive action plan for the reduction of food loss and waste for the African continent

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.

1. 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)

1. 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)

1. 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)

1. 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

1. 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

DATES & VENUE:

The Postharvest Congress and exhibition will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 28^th to 31^st March, 2017. The venue is the Safari Park Hotel. Nairobi, Kenya. Critical dates to note include the following:–

KEY DATES

COSTS

LOGISTICS:

Additional information on the Congress is available on the Congress Website: africa-postharvestcongress.uonbi.ac.ke   or get in touch with the following:

Dr. Jane Ambuko

Chairperson, Local Organizing Committee

Department of Plant Science & Crop Protection, University of Nairobi

E-mail: postharvest.conference@gmail.com OR postharvest.conference@uonbi.ac.ke

Mobile: +254722676458

Delegate registration and sponsorship requests should be sent to the event organizers: register.postharvest@uonbi.ac.ke and register.postharvest@gmail.com with a copy to postharvest.conference@gmail.com