Post-Harvest losses in legumes and cereals in Zimbabwe: Levels, determinants and mitigation measures

Abstract

Post-harvest loses begin from the onset of harvest in the field and go on to the transformation to the threshing and processing, the storage as well as in the marketing as well as preparation of the food by the final consumer along the supply value chain. This thesis focused on the PHLs in legumes and cereals, the levels and the prospects. The main objective was to determine the levels of PHLs amongst the legume and the cereal value chains. The specific objectives were to determine the magnitude of the PHL, to ascertain the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents as well as to analyse the determinants of PHLs in the cereal and legume value chains. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design and used purposive sampling to come up with 72 respondents. Descriptive statistics of means percentages and frequencies were used to analyse the data in the study as well as multiple regression. Survey results show that males (63.9%) dominated the respondents as well as those with primary/secondary education (54.2% of the respondents). The majority (62.5%) of the respondents received post-harvest management from the extension. The average age for the respondents in the study was 34.57 whereas the average farm size was 5.3 acres. The average distance of the farm from the homestead of the respondents is 2.14km. The average distance of the market from home is 6.82km whilst the minimum distance is 0.5km. Most of the respondents (22.2% in the high loss category) indicated they had the highest losses in maize production during milling whereas the majority (18.1% in the high loss category) in legume production indicated that they had high losses during storage. From the analysis on maize PHL, distance from field to homestead (p=0.023) and distance from homestead to the market (p=0.042), average household income (p=0.062) and farm size were statistically significant at 5% and 10% significant level. Under analysis on legumes, the distance of the homestead from the field (p=0.025) and distance to the market from the homestead (p=0.050 have positive co-efficiencies which are statistically significant at a 5% significance level. Average income, years of experience and farm size are significant at 5% level and 10 % levels and have negative co-efficiencies indicating that their increase reduces the PHLs. It is recommended that there be diffusion through the extension of storage technologies amongst farmers such as silos and hematic bags to reduce PHLs as well as to increase knowledge and experience through experience sharing amongst farmers themselves. It was recommended that GMB and private offtakes have their buying points closed in communities to avoid losses associated with the transport of harvest.