Implementing Programmes to Improve Safety and Quality in Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains

Implementing Programmes to Improve Safety and Quality in Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains
Author: Maya Pineiro
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2007
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789251059012

Latin American case studies on "Implementing programmes to improve safety and quality in fruit and vegetables supply chains: benefits and drawbacks" provide guidelines to improve understanding of the factors that facilitate and/or hamper the implementation of safety and quality improvements on the part of fruit and vegetable producers, especially small-scale ones, and also of the need to propose integrated solutions that take account of the producers' technical, administrative and economic capacities, together with the amount of institutional support needed in order to develop and /or strengthen these capacities.

New strategies to ensure food production

New strategies to ensure food production
Author: Joseph Cutler
Publisher: Cuvillier Verlag
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2022-04-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3736966032

This thesis presents the major viruses affecting three cultivars in Colombia and how experimental approaches in serology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics can be adapted to create a protocol that could be applied for physalis, passionfruit, ornamental rose, and eventually other crops. Selection of farms was carried out based on size and economic importance. Initial visual plant symptom appraisal led collection of 370 samples from 20 farms. Literature review guided the selection of antibodies of known viruses for initial ELISA testing. Thereafter NGS was carried out to discover further known and novel viruses in the cultivars. Various experiments were carried out on different samples including biotest inoculation, ELISA, RT-PCR, and NGS. Reliable and practical diagnostic tools like these could be developed for the most important viruses leading to a national agricultural certification program that could be established in a common project between German and Colombian universities, the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), the Colombian Corporation of Agricultural Investigation (AGROSAVIA), and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). In dieser Arbeit werden die wichtigsten Viren vorgestellt, die drei Sorten in Kolumbien betreffen, und wie experimentelle Ansätze in den Bereichen Serologie, Molekularbiologie und Bioinformatik angepasst werden können, um ein Protokoll zu erstellen, das für Physalis, Passionsfrucht, Zierrose und eventuell andere Kulturen angewendet werden kann. Die Auswahl der Betriebe erfolgte nach Größe und wirtschaftlicher Bedeutung. Die erste visuelle Beurteilung der Pflanzensymptome führte zur Entnahme von 370 Proben aus 20 Betrieben. Die Literaturrecherche leitete die Auswahl von Antikörpern bekannter Viren für erste ELISA-Tests. Danach wurde NGS durchgeführt, um weitere bekannte und neuartige Viren in den Sorten zu entdecken. Verschiedene Experimente wurden an verschiedenen Proben durchgeführt, einschließlich Biotest-Inokulation, ELISA, RT-PCR und NGS. Solche zuverlässigen und praktischen Diagnosewerkzeuge könnten für die wichtigsten Viren entwickelt werden, die zu einem nationalen Agrarzertifizierungsprogramm führen, das in einem gemeinsamen Projekt zwischen deutschen und kolumbianischen Universitäten, dem Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) und der Colombian Corporation of Agricultural Investigation (AGROSAVIA), und das Internationale Zentrum für tropische Landwirtschaft (CIAT) eingerichtet werden könnte.

Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food Security

Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food Security
Author: Jagadish Timsina
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 467
Release: 2022-11-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3031095553

This book explains how a former net food exporting Nepal has become a net food importing country due to a lack of an integrated system-wide approach to planning and governance of agriculture and natural resources. It demonstrates how various components of the food system, such as agronomy, agrobiodiversity, plant health, post-harvest management, livestock and fisheries, and socio-economics including marketing and trade, have been managed in sectoral silos, crippling the very foundations of food systems innovations. The book also explores ways to tackle climate change impacts while considering gender, social equity, conservation agriculture practices, and crop modeling as cross-cutting themes. This book utilizes Nepal as a case study in relation to wider questions of food security and livelihoods facing South Asia and synthesizes lessons that are relevant to the Global South where countries are struggling to harmonize and integrate natural resources management for sustainable and effective food security outcomes. As such, it significantly contributes to the knowledge toward achieving various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Maximizing nutrition in crop production

Maximizing nutrition in crop production
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 46
Release: 2021-11-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251350647

Ghana’s agricultural sector plays a vital role in income generation, foreign exchange earnings, employment, and food security for over 70 percent of its people. Despite the significant role of the crop production sector, limited attention has been given to maximizing its potential to address food insecurity and malnutrition. For that reason, FAO, in collaboration with World Vision, has produced this guidance note on mainstreaming nutrition into the crop production sector using a food systems approach. This guidance note aims to inform national-level policymakers and key participants in the food system on the issues and opportunities relating to Ghana’s fruit and vegetable value chain, with a particular focus on smallholder households.

Postharvest Handling

Postharvest Handling
Author: Wojciech J. Florkowski
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 587
Release: 2014-04-09
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0124104355

Postharvest Handling, Third Edition takes a global perspective in offering a system of measuring, monitoring, and managing produce processing to improve food quality, minimize food waste, reduce risks and uncertainties, and maximize time and resources. This unique resource provides an overview of the postharvest system and its role in the food value chain, and offers essential tools to monitor and control the handling process. It shows how to predict and combat unexpected events (e.g., spoilage), and manage the food quality and safety within a facility. Proven research methods and applications from various viewpoints are available to help you maintain high-quality produce and achieve the highest yields possible. The book also explores current challenges—including oversupply, waste, food safety, lack of resources, sustainability—and best practices for production to thrive in spite of these challenges. - Presents current research methods and applications in temperature control and heat treatments to help minimize moisture content, to prevent spoilage and mold, and more - Addresses challenges of traceability and sustainability - Presents testing and measurement techniques and applications - Provides technological tools to create crop value and improve both food safety and food quality

Growing Vegetables for Home and Market

Growing Vegetables for Home and Market
Author: Michael Adair Nichols
Publisher: FAO Diversification Booklets
Total Pages: 108
Release: 2009
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Vegetables that are easy to grow - potatoes, onions, tomatoes - provide economic, social and nutritional advantages and can make significant differences to smallholder livelihoods. With this booklet, policy-makers and development personnel will recognize the opportunities that are available for producing and marketing quality vegetables. [The main target audience for the FAO Diversification booklets are people and organizations that provide advisory, business and technical support to small-scale farmers and local communities in low and middle-income countries, as well as policy makers and programme managers. They are not intended to be technical "how to do it "guidelines; however each booklet identifies additional sources of information, technical support and websites.]

Promoting sustainable and inclusive value chains for fruits and vegetables – Policy review

Promoting sustainable and inclusive value chains for fruits and vegetables – Policy review
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2021-07-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9251347182

The persistence of undernutrition and the increasing levels of overweight and obesity worldwide (with their associated societal costs) are calling for a transformation of food systems towards healthier diets. Fruits and vegetables are key components of a healthy diet; however, their consumption is considerably below the minimal levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). This underconsumption is particularly pronounced in low- and middle-income countries and among low-income socio-economic groups in all countries. This paper uses the value chain approach to analyze the factors that affect the availability and affordability of fruits and vegetables. It examines major challenges across the value chain and identifies opportunities for improvement as seen through a nutrition-sensitive lens. Factors that negatively affect the availability and affordability of fruits and vegetables discussed in this paper include low production and productivity, the loss of agrobiodiversity, inadequate technology, logistics and infrastructure, weak organizational, business, and technical skills, and inefficient market linkages across the supply chain. The paper proposes a number of policy recommendations based on insights from documented cases of good practices and on lessons learned in domestic and export-oriented value chains. The paper makes a case for reviving native, underutilized, and neglected fruit and vegetable varieties to improve nutrition and increase agrobiodiversity. In addition, short value chains delivering to local markets are recommended as a resilience strategy for smallscale producers and low-income consumers in the face of climatic and economic shocks.

Promoting fruit and vegetable value chains to improve supply and consumption

Promoting fruit and vegetable value chains to improve supply and consumption
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 26
Release: 2021-12-21
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251355134

Policies with a focus on fruits and vegetables (F&Vs) need special consideration because of the high perishability and susceptibility of F&Vs to waste and loss, high labour demand, yield variations, and high consumer prices. Factors that limit the availability and affordability of F&Vs include low production and productivity, the loss of agrobiodiversity, inadequate technology, logistics and infrastructure, weak organizational, business and technical skills, and inefficient market linkages across the supply chain. Many value chains for F&Vs need improvements, investments and shortening as well as gender-responsive approaches, including gender-sensitive investments, to achieve better producer prices, lower risk and higher quality, especially for small farmers.