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Improving Food Security and Increasing Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables among the Rural Population of Ethiopia - GCP/ETH/088/GER

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Post-harvest losses of fruit and vegetables represent one of the major challenges faced by Ethiopia’s horticulture sector. Among the main factors in these losses are poor handling practices and limited use of loss-reducing and value-adding technologies. The impact of post-harvest losses on the local and national economies is significant. High post-harvest losses mean that, every year, vast amounts of money invested in agricultural inputs, machinery and labour are wasted. Moreover, the competitiveness of Ethiopian fruit and vegetables on the international market is low due to the poor quality of products, which ultimately affects the country’s foreign exchange earnings. The household fruit and vegetable consumption baseline survey suggests that 40 percent of the population consume less than the minimum daily calorie requirement. In this context, the project aimed to reduce post-harvest losses of selected fruits and vegetables through improved post-harvest handling and processing technologies. It was implemented in six woredas across the regions of Amhara, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders.

Language English

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