Caribbean Postharvest Handling Patrick E. Cortbaoui*, Michael O. Ngadi Availability in local crop production to alleviate food insecurity McGill University, Department of Bioresource Engineering, Montreal, Quebec, Canada *[email protected] 4 1 1. Training sessions on Good Agricultural and Handling Practices should be done at different supply chain segments. Introduction 2. Controlling temperature, humidity and sunlight during the handling process is crucial to reduce postharvest losses. The Caribbean region is characterized by its tropical climate with year-round sunshine, separated into dry and wet seasons. The environmental conditions under which fresh horticultural commodities are produced, transported and displayed have a significant effect on the keeping quality of the food and the amount that is lost. A relevant problem in the region is “inefficient postharvest management practices” resulting in a high level of postharvest losses and major issues of food quality and quantity. 3. The use of simple interventions, such as umbrellas or any bright colored textiles to protect the produce from direct sunlight and high temperature can significantly reduce postharvest quality and quantity loss. Tomato spoilage Inadequate on-farm storage Inappropriate crop display 4. Developing a user-friendly “Post-Harvest Quality Loss Management Guide” for each segment of the supply chain in CARICOM countries is necessary to illustrate several quality management interventions. This study was undertaken in St. Kitts-Nevis and Guyana to assess postharvest practices and losses during production and marketing of locally grown fruits and vegetables (Tomato, String Beans, Eggplant, Cucumber and Okra). 5 3 Satellite images of Guyana and St. Kitts-Nevis (Google Earth, 2014) 2. Luning, A. P., & Marcelis, J. W. (2009). Food quality management: Technicological and managerial principles and practices. Wageningen Academic Publishers. Results Analysis MCW Comprehensive assessment PHL reduction Supply chain settings Preparation activities for fresh market Methods PHS Food availability SUBSISTENCE FARMERS COMMERCIAL FARMERS 16 & 30% LOSS 5 & 20% LOSS Inappropriate on-farm handling, limited markets 3. Van Dijk, M. P., & Trienekens, J. (2012). Global value chains: Linking local producers from developing countries to international markets. Amsterdam: European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes. Limited markets RETAILERS (street markets) RETAILERS (supermarkets) 38 & 27% LOSS 5 & 17% LOSS Non refrigerated storage Environmental factors (T, 3RH, Light) REGULAR CONSUMERS SCHOOL MEAL CENTRE (children) Refrigerated storage Do not meet supermarket standards 1 & 5% LOSS Experiment set-up used to assess postharvest practices and losses using both Producer Household Surveys (PHS) & Modified Count and Weigh (MCW) approaches. References 1. Aulakh, J., & Regmi, A. (2013). Post-harvest food losses estimation: development of consistent methodology. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Postharvest quality loss measurement for Okra, Eggplant and Cucumber 2 Recommendations Post-harvest losses map of string beans and tomato in St. Kitts-Nevis. 5 Funding for this project was provided by The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF), which is a program of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD).