Tackling supply chain failures and ‘food graveyards’

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the flaws of the global food supply chain, with logistical breakdowns leading to fruit harvests being left to rot, or milk from dairy farms being poured down the drain.

Unfortunately, food loss has been happening in supply chains long before that.

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation, the value of food lost or wasted annually at the global level is estimated at US$ 1 trillion. Poor handling, long travel distances and bad storage practices cause massive losses.

In fruit and vegetable-growing powerhouse Indonesia, up to 50% of fresh produce is damaged post-harvest. That’s where social enterprise TaniHub is stepping in, to cut down the many stages of sorting and distribution, and to help farmers improve post-harvest handling practices and understand market demand.

Meanwhile, in India, heavy rainfall causes crops like onions to be damaged on route to markets. There, social enterprise Science 4 Society or S4S is using solar dehydrators to process turmeric, onions and ginger before packaging, giving them a longer shelf-life.

View the original video here.

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