Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Agricultural Economics, Islamic Azad University, Qaemshahr Branch, Qaemshahr, Iran
2 Union for Ethical Bio-Trade (UEBT), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Abstract
Purpose: Food is a basic need for human life. Ensuring food security requires guaranteeing adequate food availability, accessibility, and utilization along with the sustainability of the food system. Food availability can be improved by decreasing food losses. The goal of this study is to document the causes and quantify the amount of losses in Iran’s rice supply chain. Research method: A cross-sectional survey method was used to collect data through interviews with some actors of the rice production chain operating in Mazandaran province, Qaemshahr, in 2015, to approximate percentage weight losses at the different stages in the supply chain. Main findings: The rice losses are estimated to be about one-third of the production that could feed 18 million people per year. On the other hand, the rice losses imply an economic loss of 1,403 million U.S. dollars, annually, and losing some scare resources, such as water, in Iran. Limitations: It is not easy to apply the ways to collect the useful and more accurate data in order to find the most important reasons of food losses for each stage and process of the food supply chains. Originality/Value: It was found that it is necessary to invest in the marketing systems, renew the supply chain and improve knowledge of the actors of the rice chain -from producing to consuming- in Iran’s rice system to reduce the physical and economical estimated losses of rice.
Keywords
Main Subjects
Abass, A. B., Ndunguru, G., Mamiro, P., Alenkhe, B., Mlingi, N., & Bekunda, M. (2014). Post-harvest food losses in a maize-based farming system of semi-arid savannah area of Tanzania. Journal of Stored Products Research, 57, 49-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2013.12.004
Affognon, H., Mutungi, C., Sanginga, P., & Borgemeister, C. (2015). Unpacking postharvest losses in sub-Saharan Africa: A Meta-Analysis. World Development, 66, 49-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.08.002
AghaAlikhani, M., Kazemi-Poshtmasari, H., & Habibzadeh, F. (2013). Energy use pattern in rice production: A case study from Mazandaran province, Iran. Energy Conversion and Management, 69, 157-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2013.01.034
Alonso-Amelot, M. E., & Avila-Núñez, J. L. (2011). Comparison of seven methods for stored cereal losses to insects for their application in rural conditions. Journal of Stored Products Research, 47(2), 82-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2011.01.001
Amentae, T. K. (2016). Evaluation of supply chains and post-harvest losses of selected food commodities in Ethiopia. (Unpublished Master Thesis). Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.
Ardakani, Z., Bartolini, F., & Brunori, G. (2019). Economic modeling of climate-smart agriculture in Iran. New Medit. Mediterranean Journal of Economics, Agriculture and Environment, 18(1), 29-40. http://dx.doi.org/10.30682/nm1901c
Babarabie, M., Zarei, H., Danyaei, A., & Alipoor, M. (2019). A study on consumer’s awareness and practices from the cut flowers during their vase life (a case of Gorgan city). Journal of Horticulture and Postharvest Research, 2(Special issue), 27-38. https://doi.org/10.22077/jhpr.2018.1583.1022
Basappa, G., Deshmanya, J. B., & Patil, B. L. (2007). Post-harvest losses of maize crop in Karnataka - an economic analysis. Karnataka Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 20(1), 69-71.
Beretta, C., Stoessel, F., Baier, U., & Hellweg, S. (2013). Quantifying food losses and the potential for reduction in Switzerland. Waste Management, 33(3), 764-773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.11.007
Bolarin, F. M., & Bosa, S. O. (2015). Post-harvest losses: A dilemma in ensuring food security in Nigeria. Journal of Natural Science Research, 5(7), 151-154.
Buzby, J. C., Wells, H. F., & Hyman, J. (2014). The estimated amount, value and calories of postharvest food losses at the retail and consumer levels in the United States. USDA-ERS Economic Information Bulletin Number, 121. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2501659
Calverley, D. J. B. (1996). A study of loss assessment in eleven projects in Asia concerned with rice. FAO, Rome, (PFL/INS/001).
Conteh, A. M. H., Yan, X., & Moiwo, J. P. (2015). The determinants of grain storage technology adoption in Sierra Leone. Cahiers Agricultures, 24(1), 47-55. https://doi.org/10.1684/agr.2015.0733
Dou, Z., Ferguson, J. D., Galligan, D. T., Kelly, A. M., Finn, S. M., & Giegengack, R. (2016). Assessing U.S. food wastage and opportunities for reduction. Global Food Security, 8, 19-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2016.02.001
FAO. (2013). Food wastage footprint, Impacts on natural resources. Summary Report. http://www.fao.org/3/i3347e/i3347e.pdf
Foresight. (2011). The future of food and farming: challenges and choices for global sustainability. Final project report. The Government Office for Science, London, UK. http://www.eracaps.org/sites/default/files/content/foresight_report.pdf
Godfray, H. C. J., Beddington, J. R., Crute, I. R., Haddad, L., Lawrence, D., Muir, J. F., & Toulmin, C. (2010). Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science, 327(5967), 812-818. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1185383
Guenha, R., Salvador, B. das V., Rickman, J., Goulao, L. F., Muocha, I. M., & Carvalho, M. O. (2014). Hermetic storage with plastic sealing to reduce insect infestation and secure paddy seed quality: A powerful strategy for rice farmers in Mozambique. Journal of Stored Products Research, 59, 275-281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2014.06.007
Guisse, R. (2010). Post-harvest losses of rice (Oriza spp.) from harvesting to milling: A case study in Besease and Nobewam in the Ejisu Juabeng district in the Ashanti region of Ghana. (Unpublished Master thesis). University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
Harris, K. L., & Lindblad, C. J. (1978). Post-harvest grain loss assessment methods, 12. American Association of Cereal Chemists, St. Paul, Minnesota. 1-193.
HLPE. (2014). Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems. A report by the high level panel of experts on food security and nutrition of the committee on world food security, Rome 2014. http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3901e.pdf
Hollingsworth, B. V., Reichenbach, S. E., Tao, Q., & Visvanathan, A. (2006). Comparative visualization for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A, 1105(1-2), 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2005.11.074
Kader, A. A., Kitinoja, L., Hussein, A. M., Abdin, O., Jabarin, A., & Sidahmed, A. E. (2012). Role of agro-industry in reducing food losses in the Middle East and North Africa region. FAO, Regional Office for the Near East, Cairo, Egypt. https://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/234-2297.pdf
Kazemi, F., Omidi, M., Jamal, S., Hosseini, F., & Lashgarara, F. (2015). Factor affecting on mechanized cultivation technologies acceptance to reduce rice crop losses. Biological Forum-An International Journal, 7(2), 612-618.
Kitinoja, L., Odeyemi, O. M., Dubey, N., Musanase, S., & Gill, G. S. (2019). Commodity system assessment studies on the postharvest handling and marketing of tomatoes in Nigeria, Rwanda and Maharashtra, India. Journal of Horticulture and Postharvest Research, 2(Special issue), 1-14. https://doi.org/ 10.22077/jhpr.2019.2060.1040
Kummu, M., De Moel, H., Porkka, M., Siebert, S., Varis, O., & Ward, P. J. (2012). Science of the total eEnvironment lost food, wasted resources: Global food supply chain losses and their impacts on freshwater, cropland, and fertiliser use. Science of the Total Environment, 438, 477-489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.08.092
López-Castillo, L. M., Silva-Fernández, S. E., Winkler, R., Bergvinson, D. J., Arnason, J. T., & García-Lara, S. (2018). Postharvest insect resistance in maize. Journal of Stored Products Research, 77, 66-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2018.03.004
Obeng-Ofori, D. (2011). Protecting grain from insect pest infestations in Africa: producer perceptions and practices. Stewart Post-harvest Review, 7(3), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.2212/spr.2011.3.10
Pearson, D., Minehan, M., & Wakefield-Rann, R. (2013). Food waste in Australian households: why does it occur? The Australasian-Pacific Journal of Regional Food Studies, 3, 118-132.
Pirmoradi, A. H., Latifi, S., & Mohammadi, S. S. (2013). Waste reduction strategy for food security crops. Global Journal of Scientific Researches, 1(2), 48-51.
Reed, C. (1987). The precision and accuracy of the Standard Volume Weight method of estimating dry weight losses in wheat, grain sorghum and maize, and a comparison with the Thousand Grain Mass method in wheat containing fine material. Journal of Stored Products Research, 23(4), 223-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-474X (87)90006-3
Routroy, S., & Behera, A. (2017). Agriculture supply chain: A systematic review of literature and implications for future research. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, 7(3), 275-302. https://doi.org/10.1108/jadee-06-2016-0039
Rutten, M., & Kavallari, A. (2016). Reducing food losses to protect domestic food security in the Middle East and North Africa. African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 11 (2), 118-130.
Salmani, T., Toossi, M., & Ardakani, Z. (2013). Economic analysis of post-harvest losses rice in Iran: A case study of Amol. (Unpublished Master Thesis). Islamic Azad University, Qaemshahr Branch, Iran. (Thesis in Farsi with English abstract).
Sheahan, M., & Barrett, C. B. (2017). Food loss and waste in Sub-Saharan Africa: A critical review. Food Policy, 70, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.03.012
Tefera, T., Stephen, M., Yoseph, B., Haron, K., & Regina, T. (2011). Grain yield, stem borer and disease resistance of new maize hybrids in Kenya. African Journal of Biotechnology, 10(23), 4777-4783.
Sita Devi, K., & Ponnarasi, T. (2009). An economic analysis of modern rice production technology and its adoption behavior in Tamil Nadu. Agricultural Economics Research Review, 22, 341-347.
Teshome, A., Torrance, J. K., Baum, B., Fahrig, L., Lambert, J. D. H., & Arnason, J. T. (1999). Traditional farmers’ knowledge of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [Poaceae] landrace storability in Ethiopia. Economic Botany, 53(1), 69-78. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02860794
Thyberg, K. L., & Tonjes, D. J. (2016). Drivers of food waste and their implications for sustainable policy development. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 106, 110-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.11.016
World Food Summit. (1996). Declaration on world food security, Rome. http://www.fao.org/3/w3613e/w3613e00.htm
World Bank, FAO, NRI. (2011). Missing food: the case of post-harvest grain losses in Sub-Saharan Africa. Economic Sector Work, Washington, D.C., (Report No. 60371-AFR). http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/358461468194348132/pdf/603710SR0White0W110Missing0Food0web.pdf
)