Poor storage, weak infrastructure and limited institutional support are among the factors shaping food losses reported by smallholder farmers in Southeastern Nigeria. Drawing on quantitative data from 120 farmers across five states, the research examines both the causes of these losses and farmers’ willingness to consider upcycling, the transformation of underused or discarded food materials into products with greater value.

The findings identify inadequate government support, knowledge gaps, social unrest, poor infrastructure and insufficient storage as important contributors to food loss. The analysis also shows that farmers do not respond uniformly to potential solutions. Ordinal logistic regression indicates that education level and farm size significantly influence receptiveness to upcycling. Farmers with higher levels of education and those operating larger farms were more interested in receiving training on technologies for recovering value from food losses.

By bringing smallholder farmers’ perspectives into the discussion, the research highlights the importance of designing food-loss interventions around local conditions and capacities. Upcycling is presented as a potential component of such strategies, rather than a standalone solution. The authors point to targeted training and stronger coordination among government, industry and local communities as areas that could support adoption. The findings provide evidence for considering food-loss reduction not only as a post-harvest management issue, but also in relation to agricultural policy, infrastructure, farmer knowledge and opportunities to retain value within local food systems.