Approach for Designing Context-Specific, Locally Owned Interventions to Reduce Postharvest Losses: Case Study on Tomato Value Chains in Nigeria

Christine Plaisier, Milindi Sibomana, Johannes Van der Waal, Luud Clercx, Coen P. A. Van Wagenberg and Youri Dijkxhoorn
Additional contact information
Christine Plaisier: Wageningen Economic Research, 2595 BM Den Haag, The Netherlands
Milindi Sibomana: M.AGRO-SPEC Ltd., P.O. Box 6734 Kigali, Rwanda
Johannes Van der Waal: AgroFair Projects B.V., 2991 LN Barendrecht, The Netherlands
Luud Clercx: AgroFair Projects B.V., 2991 LN Barendrecht, The Netherlands
Coen P. A. Van Wagenberg: Wageningen Economic Research, 2595 BM Den Haag, The Netherlands
Youri Dijkxhoorn: Wageningen Economic Research, 2595 BM Den Haag, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Development projects on interventions to reduce postharvest losses (PHL) are often implemented largely independently of the specific context and without sufficient adaptation to the needs of people who are supposed to use them. An approach is needed for the design and implementation of specific, locally owned interventions in development projects. Our approach is based on Participatory Development and includes Living Lab and World Cafés. We applied the approach in a case study on reducing PHL in tomato value chains in Nigeria. The approach consists of nine steps. After scoping the sector, selected value chain stakeholders (case: farmers, transporters, traders, retailers) were gathered in Living Lab workshops. In the workshop, participants analyzed the product, information, and monetary flows in their own value chain, identified causes for PHL, and selected potential interventions to reduce these (case: plastic crates instead of raffia baskets to transport tomatoes). Selected interventions were implemented, tested, and monitored in pilot projects with the workshop participants. This was followed by an evaluation workshop. At the end of the case study, 89% of participants bought crates to keep using them in their value chain. Our approach resulted in context-specific, locally owned interventions to reduce PHL in the case study on tomato value chains in Nigeria. Its application in other countries, commodities, or interventions is needed to determine the effectiveness of the approach in a broader scope.

Keywords: value chain development; participatory approach; context-specific interventions; behavioural change; postharvest losses; tomato; Nigeria; supply chain; raffia basket; plastic crate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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