Counting the Uncounted for People and Climate Post-Harvest Losses in Soyabean, Custard Apple and Onion in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra
This working paper assesses stage-wise post-harvest losses in soyabean, custard apple, and onion supply chains in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, identifying critical loss points, their economic, climate, and nutrition impacts, and opportunities for targeted action.
Using a mixed methods approach, the study maps supply chain actors, identifies critical loss points, examines their underlying causes, and assesses their economic, climate, and nutrition impacts. The findings show that losses vary by crop and production context. For soyabean, harvesting, threshing, and collection are critical loss points; for custard apple, these vary across forest and common land, farm boundary, and orchard systems; and for onion, farm-level storage is the dominant critical loss point. The study highlights the need to improve access to post-harvest technologies, infrastructure, finance, and advisory support, while aligning policy and market incentives with specific loss points. Reducing post-harvest losses can support farmer income stability, conserve edible produce and nutrients, and lower emissions.
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Part of Food, Land and Water