Reinforcing family farmer capacity to improve crop storage and reduce food losses in Rwenzori region

Food losses are endemic in all agricultural production systems. The South Initiative project targets enhanced food and nutrition security by empowering family farmers in Mpanga Catchment area to be able to reduce avoidable food losses and improve production efficiency. The project aspires to contribute to this goal by increasing awareness about causes, impact and measurement of food losses among family farmers in their systems of production. In addition, appropriate technologies of food storage will be identified and promoted in the Rwenzori region. The approaches used will involve the use of a Food Insecurity Experience Scale that will show the food and nutrition situation of farm households. In addition, the Food Loss and waste Protocol will be applied to assess the occurrence and magnitude of food losses in farmer production systems for which a comparison will be made with their food and nutrition security situation. Finally, appropriate technologies of food storage will be identified and promoted through exposure visits, field day events and radio programmes.