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| AGRO-INDUSTRIES & POST-HARVEST
MANAGEMENT UNIT
About the Agro-Industries
& Post-Harvest Management Unit
Programmes
Contacts
About the Agro-Industries
& Post Harvest Management Unit
The Agro-Industries & Post-Harvest Management Unit
is a component of Agricultural Support Systems within the Agriculture
Group of FAO's Regional Office for Africa. its mandate is to provide
technical support in the areas of preservation, processing, and quality
assurance of agricultural products of all kinds in Sub-Sahara Africa,
and in doing so contributing to the development of the economic and
food security situation of FAO's member countries and the rural population
in particular.
The basis for technical intervention is the specific
situation, constraints and opportunities that characterize the agro-industries
& post-harvest sector in Sub-Sahara Africa, and the subsequent member
nations' objectives. Insufficient investment, weak local private sector
and infrastructure, weak linkage between farmers and processors/ markets,
lead to low productivity, low competitiveness, growth in food imports,
and falling share of agricultural exports in world markets. The opportunities
however are the individual Regional Economic Organizations constituting
big regional markets, a conducive macro-economic environment as a result
of reforms undertaken by most African countries, an abundance of natural
resources and varied climatic and agro-ecological zones which enables
the year-around production of wide range of diverse crop, a stable smallholder
farming population which will always be available for the production
of cash crops. Government goals aim at reducing food losses, adding
value to agricultural produce, stimulating agricultural growth and diversification,
in order to improve rural employment, nutritional status, food security,
and national self-reliance, import substitution, and export.
In view of the situation describe above it is obvious
that the Agro-Industries & Post-Harvest Management Unit works closely
with the Units of Marketing, Rural Finance, Farming Systems and Crop
production. Technically the Unit is accountable to the Agricultural
and Food Engineering Technologies Service (AGST) based at FAO's Headquarters
in Rome.
Programmes
I. Establishing and operating a network of stakeholders
in post-harvest and agro-industries sector, the Network of Resources
for the Agro-Industries in Africa.
One of the problems being faced by the sector is the
limited awareness of, and access to the resources that are available
on the continent. To improve this situation an agro-industries network
is being set up.
The goals are information exchange, providing a human
resources pool, and linking suppliers/ providers and buyers/ users of
goods and services. Participants in the Network are the private sector
(agro-industry, agricultural enterprises), international organizations,
consultancy bureaus, government departments, research and education
institutions, programmes and projects, co-operatives and associations,
community organizations, NGOs, CSOs, etc. Activities: setting up database,
issuing a newsletter, promotion of research & development, supporting
the sector on the international fora.
II. Promoting and establishing commodity-based
associations and/or centres for development and promotion of post-harvest
technology and agro-industries.
Introduction of technologies without creating the enabling
environment for application (development of the sub-sector) is not effective.
What needed is demand driven project approach by the establishment of
a sustainable facility, that maintains an 'helicopter view' on the commodity
chain (sub-sector) as a whole, to identify the needs and opportunities,
and to co-ordinate and plan the support and interventions, that can
deal with unexpected demands, and that facilitates implementation of
developments conceived and planned by the people whom they affect. The
goals are per commodity chain reduced post-harvest losses, income generation
for smallholders, import substitution, increased export. Activities
of the associations or centres will be:
- Assisting in a national policy on development of the agri-business
sub-sector, and co-ordination of national activities in post-harvest
technology and agro-industries
- Assisting farming communities in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP),
storage, preservation and marketing of crops
- Facilitating contract farming for the agro-processing industry and
export, promoting organic farming
- Product development and pilot scale processing for trial purposes,
including organic processing
- Scouting for and co-ordinating supply of processing inputs, esp.
packaging materials
- Commercial packaging and storing of products, development, design
and manufacturing of storage facilities and tools and equipment for
processing
- Designing and implementing quality control programmes, feasibility
studies, business plans, staff training, marketing advice for entrepreneurs
- Market research and information collection
- Promoting and initiating research
- Mediation in credit and loan acquisition for entrepreneurs, to scout
for funds
- Representing and protecting the stakeholders' interests at the level
of national and international policy and law making
III. Support to projects on post-harvest handling
and household processing and preservation
Continent wide many projects and programmes are on-going
or being developed including components on post-harvest handling and
household processing and preservation. The goals are reduced food losses,
improved household food security, income generation. The main target
groups are Government Departments, Programmes and Projects, Co-operatives,
Community Organizations, NGOs, Village Groups, Churches etc. Activities
are technology and product development, design of storage and processing
equipment, promotion, dissemination and extension of technologies, creating
awareness about quality, training of trainers.
Contacts
Robert Van Otterdijk
Agro-Industries & Post-Harvest Management Officer
Robert.VanOtterdijk@fao.org
Network of Resources for the Agro-Industries in
Africa
RAIA@fao.org
FAO Regional Office for Africa
PO Box 1628
Accra Ghana
Phone: +233 21 701 09 30 ext 3133
Fax: +233 21 701 09 43
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