Agriculture
Rockefeller Foundation, FAO supporting Africa to halve food loss
Food that ‘disappears’ from the food chain after harvest owing to spoilage could feed an estimated 48 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa. A project by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the African Union and The Rockefeller Foundation aims to help countries drastically reduce these post-harvest losses by 2030 through strengthening policies and strategies.
“Our work with The Rockefeller Foundation and the African Union to make food supply chains more efficient will benefit the livelihoods of family farmers in Africa and mean less pressure on the environment, which both contribute to our vision of a Zero Hunger world,” said FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva.
Governments around the world have committed to halving food loss and waste by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals.
Under the Malabo Declaration in 2014, African Union member countries set themselves the ambitious target of halving post-harvest losses by 2025.
“Much more progress remains ahead us if we are to achieve our ambitious goal of reaching zero hunger in just 12 years,” said Rafael Flor, the Director of The Rockefeller Foundation’s YieldWise initiative, a $130 millioninvestment to reduce food loss and waste. “There is greater awareness today among governments and the private sector that reducing food lost and waste will lead to greater food security. Now we must translate that awareness to action among policymakers and agribusinesses,” he said.
“Our objective is to support the African Union and its institutions to develop policy and to design strategic solutions to address food loss and waste with impact at all levels, from policy, capacity building, and research, and at the value chain level with farmers, producers and retailers,” said Cephas Taruvinga, FAO’s Chief Technical Advisor for the project.
Saving food after harvest
The 18-month project began in February 2017 and is focusing on post-harvest loss of staple crops in the pilot countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as policy support to the African Union Commission.
Post-harvest loss refers to a reduction in the quality and quantity of food – such as cereals, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and milk – between the farm and the point of sale before it can be eaten.
In Africa, the vast majority of food loss happens between harvest and the point of sale – very little is wasted by consumers after purchase.
FAO estimates indicate that post-harvest losses can reach up to 20% for cereals, 30% for dairy and fish, and 40% for fruit and vegetables. Much of this loss happens because of a lack of technology, limited knowledge in supply chains, limited access to markets, poor infrastructure and inadequate financing.
Halving such losses across Africa requires a holistic, systemic approach which is why the project supports the strengthening of linkages in the food production value chain, improved markets and infrastructure, better technical solutions and supporting governments to provide enabling policies and investments.
“What we want to do is look at not only the technical interventions but also how do you build capacity within existing systems that we have in place. And that’s why the collaboration with FAO and the African Union is very important,” Flor said.
Partners for strategic solutions
Policy and strategic solutions are being developed and implemented at the African Union and in the pilot countries. Assessments of the extent of post-harvest losses for each country’s priority crops are being carried out, including in the maize, milk and tomato supply chains, and technical working groups have been formed to develop national strategies and coordinate post-harvest activities in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Through the project, over 100 stakeholders and technical staff have been trained in post-harvest management, and, in Tanzania, the FAO Food Loss Analysis Methodology has been incorporated into tertiary training programmes. A Monitoring & Evaluation framework has also been developed to track progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Malabo targets.
Simple, practical solutions are also being piloted such as hermetically-sealed bags that can store grain for longer, and re-useable crates to transport fresh fruits and vegetables to reduce damage during transport. Successful solutions and practices demonstrated through the project will be replicated throughout Africa.
FAO and The Rockefeller Foundation signed a partnership agreement in 2016 to support the food security and development of small-scale producers in sub-Saharan Africa through knowledge sharing and capacity building on food loss and waste reduction, value addition/processing, market linkages and impact measurement.
These activities are also contributing to the ongoing post-harvest loss programmes under The Rockefeller Foundation’s Food Loss Initiative and FAO’s Global Initiative on Food Losses and Waste.
Agriculture
Niger State to End Direct Supply of Live Cows, Launch Meat Processing for Southwest Markets
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has unveiled a major reform in Niger State’s livestock trade, announcing plans to halt the direct transportation of live cows and goats to markets in Lagos and Ogun states.
Under the new plan, livestock will be slaughtered and processed at Mokwa before being packaged and delivered as frozen products to the Southwest. According to the governor, this will improve hygiene, reduce waste, and ensure farmers capture more value from the livestock chain.
Speaking at the First Bank 2025 Agric and Export Expo in Lagos, Bago explained that value addition was key to reversing losses from exporting raw commodities. He revealed that Niger State had secured a $100 million offtake agreement with the Saudi Export and Import Bank to supply livestock to the Middle East, stressing that every part of the animal—from tripe to hooves—would now be fully utilized.
The governor also disclosed plans to partner with Lagos on LNG-powered cold-chain trucks for modern meat distribution. He emphasized that the initiative would raise meat quality, generate jobs in processing, and contribute to Nigeria’s economic diversification away from oil.
Bago urged banks to back such ventures, warning that nations that continue exporting raw products risk remaining “perpetually broke.”
Agriculture
Enugu Govt to Establish Food and Nutrition Units
…Commends Tinubu for Ortuanya’s appointment as UNN’s VC
The Enugu State Government has resolved to set up food and nutrition units in select ministries in the state in line with the national food policy.
This was even as the government announced that it would distribute 20,000 units of personal computers to 20,000 civil servants in furtherance of the digitization of process in the state’s public service.
These were made known by the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu; Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo; and the Head of Service, Dr. Godwin Anigbo, while briefing Government House correspondents at the end of the State Executive Council meeting at the weekend.
“The Exco approved the establishment of a Food and Nutrition Unit in select line ministries that will be working together. This an opportunity for us to recommit to the administration’s promise and mandate to eradicate poverty in Enugu State, but in this regard, ensuring food security.
“Part of those Ministeries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that are involved in food programme as approved by the Exco are: The Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Eradication, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Trade, Investment, and Industry, Ministry of Budget and Planing, Ministry of Information and Communication, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation. Those ministries are very key, particularly as they align with the governor’s vision of providing free meals at the Smart Green schools as they come on board,” Ekweremadu said.
Also briefing, the Head of Service said the provision of 20,000 units of computers would bring the digitization of the state’s public service into in full swing.
“This government is so interested in using technology to solve problems. When this digitization process takes full effect, we are going to have increased productivity in the public service, which will also help to track performance. Civil service is very critical in terms of implementation of systematic policies and critical reforms of this administration. The state government is committed,” he stated .
Meanwhile, the state government has equally expressed a heartfelt gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for the appointment of the first University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Vice Chancellor of Enugu North Zone extraction.
“The Enugu Exco extended a profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finding this illustrious son of Enugu, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, worthy to be appointed the VC of the UNN,” Agbo stated.
Agriculture
We engage in beneficial, community-oriented land acquisition for agricultural purposes – Enugu Govt
By Our Correspondent
The Enugu State Government says it only engages in a win-win land acquisition system for ongoing agricultural initiatives and programmes.
The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-industrialisation, Mr Patrick Nwabueze Ubru, made this known to newsmen in Enugu, weekend, stating that “we engage in beneficial and community-oriented land acquisition for agricultural purposes only.”
Ubru observed that the state government,, by an executive order issued by the state governor, Dr Peter Mbah, in 2024, committed to international best practices in agricultural land acquisition.
“By the Executive Order No. 001 of 2024 on the Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA) signed by the state governor, Dr Peter Mbah, the state government
had committed itself to international best practices in land acquisition for agricultural purposes,” he stressed.
It would be recalled that an online medium had published a report falsely accusing Governor Peter Mbah of moves to buy off some ancestral lands in Eha-Amufu community in Isi-Uzo LGA and hand it over to non-indigenous herders for settlement.
The group also alleged that Governor Mbah had paid the sum of N30 billion to some leaders of Eha-Amufu community to secure the release their communal lands to the said herders for settlement.
Ubru however urged the people of the state to discountenance the report, describing it as “completely fake and mischievous ,” adding that “being a responsible and people-focused government, this administration would not undermine or short-change its people under any guise.”
The commissioner stated that the Executive Order had ensured transparency in land acquisition with the consent of the people and to the benefit of all within the same community.
He noted that the Executive Order is a public document that anyone may read in electronic or hard copy to understand how open and transparent Governor Peter Mbah’s visions and objectives are regarding land acquisition for agricultural purposes..
“The Executive Order ensures that land acquisition and resettlement for large-scale agribusiness investments are undertaken in line with international best practices and guaranteed shared benefits between private investors and host communities.
“The Government of Enugu State is desirous of deepening the state’s agribusiness reforms including delivering a win-win approach to all the relevant stakeholders on agricultural land matters and investment opportunities.
“The FRILIA Executive Order will enhance access to large-scale investments, gainful employment on large-scale farms, sufficient income, and protection from the volatility of agricultural labour and product markets.
“The Framework will ensure adherence to guiding principles covering overarching investment, recognition and protection of land rights, state land acquisition and resettlement, environmental and social responsibility,” he said.
The commissioner noted that in order to achieve the government’s objective of creating an enabling, responsible and inclusive business operating environment for large-scale agribusiness investments in Enugu State through FRILIA, the state government set up other mechanisms to back it up.
“The state government established the FRILIA Steering and Technical Committees with clearly defined functions and powers.
“Others are the establishment of a grievance redress mechanism; and development and adoption of FRILIA Toolkits/Guidelines/Policies or Equivalent,” he added.
Ubru said that Governor Mbah, being a leader with vision, had clear intentions and programmes to grow the GDP of the state from $4 billion to $30 billion.
He noted that the governor had taken time and opportunities to explain his vision of uplifting the people of the state out of poverty.
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