postharvest handling systems small scale operations small … · 2015-06-19 · • smallholders in...
TRANSCRIPT
6/19/2015
1
Postharvest Handling Systems for Small‐Scale Farmers Throughout the World
Beth Mitcham
Department of Plant Sciences
Postharvest Technology Center
Horticulture Collaborative Research Support Program (Hort CRSP)
Small‐Scale Operations
• Local food movement
– Lots of new farmers with small to medium operations
• Small organic operations
• Smallholders in developing countries
Postharvest Principles
• Understand the requirements of your customers
• Select good varieties with flavor and shelf life potential
• Harvest at proper maturity
• Avoid sun exposure to reduce water loss and temps
• Cool quickly to lowest safe temperature
• Protect from physical damage
• Maintain cold chain
• Expedite marketing whenever possible
SAME for LARGE and SMALL‐SCALE OPERATIONS!!
The Best Way to be Sustainableis to Reduce
Postharvest Loss and Waste
Food Loss
Food Loss refers to food that spills, spoils, incurs an abnormal reduction in quality such as bruising or wilting, or otherwise gets lost before it reaches
the consumer.
Food loss is the unintended result of an
agricultural process or technical limitation in storage,
infrastructure, packaging, or marketing.
Food Waste
Food Waste refers to food that is of good quality and fit for human consumption, but that does not get consumed because it is discarded—either before or after it spoils.
Food waste is the result of negligence or a conscious decision to throw food away.
Mitcham, Beth and Michael Reid "Appropriate Postharvest Technology" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Regents
6/19/2015
2
Feeding 9 Billion in 2050?
• Reducing postharvest losses must be part of the solution!!
Locations Range Mean Range Mean
From production toretail sites 2-23 12 5-50 22
At retail, foodservice,and consumer sites 5-30 20 2-20 10
Cumulative total 3.5-26.5 32 3.5-35 32
Developed DevelopingCountries Countries
Estimated Postharvest Losses (%) of Fresh Produce in Developing vs. Developed
Countries
Postharvest Losses of Selected Vegetables in Northern Thailand based on Sampling at the Collection Center
Range of losses (%) due to:
Vegetable Physical Damage
Pests & Disorders
Total
Head lettuce 21 – 27 21 – 40 48 - 61Red leaf lettuce 19 – 27 17 – 29 43 – 48Butterheadlettuce
24 – 36 21 – 37 57 – 60
Spinach 17 – 25 18 – 30 35 – 52Cabbage 14 – 19 11 - 18 28 – 32Celery 22 – 24 17 – 36 42 - 58
(Boonyakiat, 1999)
Recommended vs. Measured Tomato Fruit Temperatures
Country Rec. Temp. °C
Farm Wholesale Market
Retail
India 15 25.2±0.6 30.5±2.7 29.1±2.8
Ghana 15 31.2±2.7 30.2±2.5 32.5±2.6
Benin 15 28.5±1.7 29.1±1.2 23.4±2.3
Rwanda 15 30.1±3.0 22.1±1.2 23.4±2.3
Kitinoja and AlHassan, 2010N=30; 3 reps from 10 random samples per site
Postharvest Challenges in Developing Economies
• Lack of information and training
• Lack of market access
• Lack of resources – capital, equipment, supplies
• Poor roads and infrastructure
• Minimal cold chain and transportation options
• Policy challenges
Shading to Protect Produce from the Sun
Mitcham, Beth and Michael Reid "Appropriate Postharvest Technology" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Regents
6/19/2015
3
Good Packaging Essential1.Protection2.Reuse3.Moisture barrier
Examples of Shipping Containers Used in Developing Countries
Policy and Trade Issues Affect Choice of Packaging
Disruptive technologies
• Game changing
• Revolutionary rather than evolutionary
• Non‐obvious to practitioners
• Initially may be expensive and inconvenient
The history of civilization – a chronicle of disruptive technologies
• Tools• Fire• Agriculture• The wheel• Metallurgy• Mathematics• Gunpowder• The steam engine• Electricity• Radio• The telephone• Flight• Antibiotics• The transistor• Cell phones
Disruptive technologies surprise experts
“The idea of installing ‘telephones’ in every city is idiotic... Why would any person want to use this ungainly and impractical device when he can send a messenger to the telegraph office and have a clear written message sent to any large city in the US? This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” (Western Union)
Mitcham, Beth and Michael Reid "Appropriate Postharvest Technology" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Regents
6/19/2015
4
Horticulture – the First Science• Introduction of plant products for human use
– Food, Fiber, Medicine, Decoration
• Adaptation for human use– Detoxification– Organ enlargement– Organ modification
• Control of growth and development– Architecture– Flowering– Dormancy
• Optimizing production– Control of weeds, pests, and diseases– Ensuring adequate nutrition– Minimizing abiotic stresses
• Drought, Salinity, Temperature
• Improving postharvest life
History of disruptive technologies in horticulture
– Selection
– Grafting
– Irrigation
– Genetics
– Fertilizers
– Pesticides
– Photoperiodism
– Tissue culture
– Molecular manipulation
Small‐holder horticulture
• Proving ground for disruptive technologies– Small scale
– Available labor
– Willingness to innovate
• Innovation in marketing
• Innovation in production
• Innovation in postharvest handling
• Our philosophy – adapt ‘off‐the‐shelf’ technologies to our needs
Innovation in marketing• Market driven
– Produce what the customer wants
– Cultivate niche markets
– Match supply to demand
– Quality above quantity
• Cell phones– A classic disruptive technology
– Market intelligence
– Market contacts
– Finance
Microchips and robotics
Solar energy
Non‐chemical control of pests, diseases & weeds
Innovative irrigation systems
Disruptive technologies for productionSolar‐powered pump
Mitcham, Beth and Michael Reid "Appropriate Postharvest Technology" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Regents
6/19/2015
5
Water and nutrients
• Solar power for pumping
– Cost of panels is falling
– Small‐sized pumps are reliable, capable
• Drip irrigation
• Hydroponics
– Nutrients and water supply
• What about direct supply of water?
– I.V. for plants
Non‐chemical control of pests,diseases, and weeds
• Exclusion
– Nets
• Soil sterilization
– Facilitated solarization
• Enhanced resistance
– Chimeric plants
– Conventional breeding
– Molecular genetics
Solar power for cooling
• Costly
– ca. $5,000
• Price falling
• ‘Split’ D.C. A/C units
• Lithium ion batteries
Transport
• Key need in the developing world
• Poor infrastructure (roads, refrigerated facilities)
• Need for small‐scale, refrigerated transport
• Better insulation to reduce refrigeration required
• Innovative refrigeration
– Trucks, bicycles, carts
Better insulation The promise of ‘aerogel’
Mitcham, Beth and Michael Reid "Appropriate Postharvest Technology" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Regents
6/19/2015
6
Transport cooling
• Small‐scale recreational coolers
• Peltier block coolers
And from cooling to…a different solar dryer
• Production peaks of horticultural products lead to over‐supply and low prices for the best quality product
• Drying is a preservation technique that can capture value from excess product as well as provide nutrition during the off‐season
• Traditional solar dryers depend on clear skies and dry conditions
• We sought a design that would provide good drying under hazy and/or cloudy‐bright conditions
Natural Convection Solar Breadfruit Dryer ‐M. S. Reid & J. F. Thompson January 28, 2012
Fill tray with 1-2kg of product. A 6 tray dryer has a 6 to 12 kg/day capacity and 50 to 100 trays are neededfor a 1000kg/day capacity. It may be possible to stack trays 2 to 3 trays high in the dryer to reduce dryer area.
Cross section of dryer
Clear polyethylene film
Soil
Optional black plastic sheeting over the soil to prevent soil/food contact
0.3m
Staple film to wood pole, allows dryer to be opened
2 m
90m
m
0.6m
0.6m
Drying tray
Wood cross members,support poly film &allow airflow across tray
Thin wood or screen bottom
Stack made of 4 poles pounded into the ground, strengthened with wooden laths at the top, and covered with poly film.Flow rate in stack = 150 m3/hStack height = 2m high with a0.3 x 0.6m cross section.
2 empty trays in preheat section
0.6m trays separatedby 0.1m
5m
Side view of dryer
airflow
What about biotechnology?
• Many of the constraints to horticultural production can be addressed using molecular biotechnology,
BUT• The explosion of information
resulting from the application of the tools of modern biology to plants has only sparingly been applied to horticultural crops
Potential biotechnology targets
• Adaptation for human use– Detoxification– Organ enlargement– Organ modification
• Control of growth and development– Architecture– Dormancy and flowering– Uniformity
• Optimizing production– Control of weeds, pests, and diseases– Ensuring adequate nutrition– Minimizing abiotic stresses
• Drought, Salinity, Temperature
• Improving postharvest life
Mitcham, Beth and Michael Reid "Appropriate Postharvest Technology" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Regents
6/19/2015
7
• USAID funded grant program
• University of California, Davis (lead)
• 5 year initial award
• Focused on the entire value chain
• Themes
– Information Accessibility
– Innovation
– Gender Equity
37
What is the Horticulture Innovation Lab?
• To apply research findings and technical knowledge to increase smallholders’ participation in markets
• To build local scientific and technical capacity
• To facilitate the development of policies that improve local horticultural trade
38
Objectives of the Horticulture Innovation Lab
• Showcase and adapt horticultural technologies
• Conduct regional trainings in collaboration with other local institutions
• Disseminate information about effective horticulture technologies
39
Horticulture Innovation Lab Regional Centers
• South East Asia‐ Kasetsart University– Postharvest cooling, drying beads, solar pumping and drip irrigation, solar drying, D‐Lab, pest exclusion nets
• East Africa‐Kenya Agriculture Research Institute– Agro Nets, solar drying of mango, postharvest handing, drying beads
• Central America‐ EAP Zamorano– Integrated curriculum, postharvest training, IPM, irrigation, farmer field schools, D‐Lab, macro tunnels, solar pump, pest exclusion nets
• NEW @ UC Davis !!!
40
Regional Center Locations
Coolbot room
Solar dryers
Solar irrigation
‘Zero energy’cooler
Drying beads
Mitcham, Beth and Michael Reid "Appropriate Postharvest Technology" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Regents
6/19/2015
8
For Further Information• Lipinski et al., 2013. Reducing food loss and waste. Installment 2 of Creating a Sustainable Food Future. World Resources Inst.
• Kitinoja and Thompson. 2010. Pre‐cooling systems for small‐scale producers. Stewart Postharvest Review 2:2.
• Kitinoja et al. 2011. Postharvest technology for developing countries: challenges and opportunities in research, outreach and advocacy. J. Sci. Food Agric. 91: 597–603.
• Kitinoja and Kader. 2003. Small‐scale postharvest handling practices: A manual for horticultural crops (4th edition). http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/datastorefiles/234‐1450.pdf http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu
Questions?
Mitcham, Beth and Michael Reid "Appropriate Postharvest Technology" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Regents