Around one-third of the food we produce is not consumed. A significant amount of energy inputs are embedded in these losses. In developing countries, most food losses occur during harvest and storage. For this reason, improving post-harvest activities in developing countries is an important way to increase farmers’ incomes.

Food losses are often caused by a lack of access to energy for adequate post-harvesting operations, such as drying, storage and processing, as well as a lack of transportation and distribution. FAO is contributing to increasing the knowledge base in this area and transferring suitable post-harvest technologies for storage and drying to developing countries.

As part of its work in this area, FAO has developed a web-based Information Network on Post-harvest Operations (INPhO) that provides information on a wide range of post-harvest issues. Work carried out by FAO and collaborating donor agencies on reducing post-harvest losses have led to the installation or construction of more than 60 000 metallic silos in 16 countries.

More than 1 500 professionals, technicians and craftsmen have been trained in the construction and handling of these silos. In addition, FAO has set up revolving funds and loans to facilitate the diffusion of better storage technologies and make them more accessible to small farmers who cannot afford them.

FAO is now considering another critical aspect of post-harvest operations, the drying process, with a focus on the energy implications of various drying technologies. The objective is to identify energy-efficient, affordable drying technologies that can work in rural settings.