How to minimize post-harvest losses through technology?

Post-harvest losses are a major challenge for farmers and food producers around the world, causing huge economic losses every year. As the world’s population continues to grow, the need for efficient and effective post-harvest management becomes increasingly important. Fortunately, technology is helping to revolutionize the way farmers and food producers manage their post-harvest losses. With the help of technology, farmers and food producers can use data-driven approaches to reduce the amount of postharvest losses, leading to better yields and more efficient operations. By taking advantage of technological advances in areas such as forecasting tons of production and identifying the optimal harvest time, farmers and food producers can better manage post-harvest logistics and maximize their profits.

Introduction to postharvest losses

Post-harvest losses occur when food products are not harvested, stored or processed in a manner that maximizes their shelf life. These losses can be due to several factors, such as not having a quantitative and qualitative production forecast, inadequate temperature and humidity control during storage, inadequate waste management or inadequate pest management. These losses can be significant, reducing the amount of food available to consumers and causing economic losses for farmers and food producers. Como la población mundial sigue creciendo y la demanda de alimentos aumenta, cada vez es más importante que los agricultores y productores de alimentos encuentren formas de minimizar las pérdidas postcosecha.

Causes of postharvest losses

There are many causes of postharvest losses, and it is important for farmers and food producers to identify and address the most significant ones. It all starts with planning, providing the farmer with sufficient data so that he can plan all the processes involved by identifying the key moments for each of them. Weather conditions can cause spoilage, mold and other damage, reducing the shelf life of food products and causing economic losses. Finally, inadequate pest management can lead to post-harvest losses. Pests can damage food products, cause spoilage and contamination and reduce their shelf life, which makes a constant monitoring system with specific and automatic alerts indispensable in all productions.

Impacts of post-harvest losses

Post-harvest losses can lead to economic losses for farmers and food producers, as they may be forced to discard food products damaged by pest infestations, untimely harvesting. Finally, post-harvest losses can reduce the amount of food available to consumers, leading to food insecurity in some parts of the world.

What can technology do to reduce post-harvest losses?

Fortunately, there are a number of technologies that can be used to reduce postharvest losses. These technologies can help farmers and food producers better manage their operations, resulting in better yields and more efficient operations. By taking advantage of these technologies, farmers and food producers can reduce the amount of post-harvest losses, resulting in better yields and more efficient operations.

Monitoring technologies

Monitoring technologies play a pivotal role in mitigating post-harvest losses. One of their primary utilities is in enhancing the accuracy of production forecasting. By doing so, they provide a range of benefits:

• Estimations of annual production and quality.
• Weekly updated maps and model results.
• Assistance in coordinating harvest logistics.
• Comprehensive analyses derived from multiparametric results.
• Balancing optimal harvest times with mill capacity.
• Prioritizing the order of harvest within fields.
• Flexibility in selection based on timeframes, be it for an entire season or a specific period.
• Improved logistical sequencing, guided by predictive models.
• Generation of data with heightened accuracy and predictions, tailor-made for individual users via bespoke AI models.

By leveraging these capabilities, monitoring technologies can significantly reduce spoilage and contamination. This, in turn, boosts yields and operational efficiency.

Leveraging data to reduce post-harvest losses

By leveraging data, farmers and food producers can better understand their operations and identify areas where post-harvest losses can be reduced. For example, the data can be used to identify areas of the farm where temperature and humidity control could be improved, thereby reducing spoilage and contamination.

In addition, the data can be used to identify areas where crop storage and waste management could be improved. By analyzing the data, farmers and food producers can identify areas where changes could be made to reduce post-harvest losses due to inadequate storage.

Benefits of technology for post-harvest losses

By leveraging technology, farmers and food producers can reduce the amount of post-harvest losses, resulting in better yields and more efficient operations. By using temperature and humidity control technologies, farmers and food producers can reduce the amount of spoilage and contamination, resulting in better yields and more efficient operations. In addition, through the use of crop storage and residue management technologies, farmers and food producers can better manage their operations, resulting in better yields and more efficient operations. Finally, by leveraging data, farmers and food producers can better understand their operations and identify the optimal harvest versus factory capacity.

Application of technology to post-harvest management

The application of technology to post-harvest management is relatively straightforward. Farmers and food producers can use automated platforms and systems to monitor and control crop processes, resulting in improved yields and more efficient operations. Finally, farmers and food producers can use the data to better understand their operations and identify areas where changes can be made to reduce post-harvest losses.

Conclusion

Post-harvest losses are a major challenge for farmers and food producers around the world, leading to economic losses and reduced food availability. Fortunately, precision agriculture is helping to revolutionize the way farmers and food producers manage their post-harvest losses. Leveraging technological advances in areas such as Mapping and model results with weekly updates, support for harvest logistics as well as Multi-parametric results analysis with data-driven approaches, farmers and food producers can better manage their post-harvest losses and maximize their profits.