Tác động của đặc điểm bối cảnh đến tổn thất sau thu hoạch trong chuỗi cà chua Zimbabwe

Understanding the influence of context characteristics, logistics control and quality control on postharvest losses A case study of Zimbabwean tomato supply chains Lesley Macheka Thesis committee Promotors Prof. van der Vorst Professor of Logistics and Operations Research Wageningen University & Research Dr P. Luning Associate professor, Food Quality Design Group Wageningen University & Research Other members Prof. Ruben, Wageningen University & Research Prof.

Jacxsens, Ghent University, Belgium Prof. van Kooten, Wageningen University & Research Dr J.F Hagelaar, Wageningen University & Research This research was conducted under the auspices of the Wageningen School of Social Science (WASS) Understanding the influence of context characteristics, logistics control and quality control on postharvest losses A case study of Zimbabwean tomato supply chains Lesley Macheka Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor at Wageningen University by the authority of the Rector Magnificus, Prof. Mol, in the presence of the Thesis Committee appointed by the Academic Board to be defended in public on Tuesday 12 June 2018 at 1. in the Aula.

Lesley Macheka Understanding the influence of context characteristics, logistics control and quality control on postharvest losses: A case of Zimbabwean tomato supply chains, 1 pages. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands (2018) With references, with summary in English  ,6%1 '2,KWWSVGRLRUJ   Table of Contents Chapter 1 1 General introduction Chapter 2 15 Hierarchical categorisation of logistics and quality management decisions influencing postharvest losses in fresh produce chains Chapter 3 35 Exploration of logistics and quality control activities in view of context characteristics and postharvest losses in fresh produce chains: A case study for tomatoes Chapter 4 67 Identification of determinants of postharvest losses in Zimbabwean tomato supply chains as basis for dedicated interventions Chapter 5 87 Understanding causes of qualitative and economic postharvest losses in tomato supply chains in Sub-Saharan Africa: Case of Zimbabwe Chapter 6 109 General discussion Summary 133 Acknowledgements 136 Chapter 1 General introduction 1.3 billion tonnes of fresh food crops produced in the world for human consumption, amounting to roughly US$ 680 billion in developed countries and US$ 310 billion in developing countries, is lost after harvest every year (Gustavsson et al. Agriculture, especially the production of fruit and vegetables, is the mainstay of the economy for most Sub-Saharan African countries. Production of fruit and vegetables in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2014, is approximated at 34.95 million tonnes, respectively (FAOSTAT, 2016).

However, fresh produce chains are characterised by high postharvest losses (PHL), which can occur at all stages and processes between harvesting and consumption (James & Zikankuba, 2017). PHL in fresh produce chains in Sub-Saharan Africa ranges from 30 to 50% (Kitinoja et al., 2011; Affognon et al. The high PHL are a major obstacle in achieving sustainable fresh produce chains (Hodges et al. Sustainable food supply chains consider the environmental, social, and economic aspects of supply chain operations (Soysal et al., 2012; Mota et al., 2015; Zhu et al.

The UK Sustainable Development Commission (DEFRA, 2002) described sustainable food supply chains as those that: (i) produce safe, healthy products in response to market demands, (ii) enable viable livelihoods to be made from sustainable land management, (iii) respect and operate within the biological limits of natural resources, (iv) achieve consistently high standards of environmental performance, (v) ensure a safe and hygienic working environment and high social welfare, and (vi) sustain the resource available for growing food. Considering this description of sustainable food chains, PHL have repercussions on sustainability of fresh produce chains as they translate to loss of production resources, such as water and crop land used for production, and loss in income for the various actors in the supply chain (Prusky, 2011). With the world population expected to balloon to nine billion by 2050, food insecurity is likely to worsen if measures are not put in place to minimise loss of the available food (Parfitt et al. PHL reduction can contribute to increasing food availability, eliminating hunger and improving farmers’ livelihoods (Kasso & Bekele, 2016; Kumar & Kalita, 2017).

However, the complexity of PHL requires to get insight into the multiple factors causing PHL. Despite many intervention strategies having been proposed in literature, PHL still remain a persistent problem, presenting an enormous threat to food security (Affognon et al. Hence, there is an urgent need for understanding the multiple causes of PHL to develop strategies for reduction.1 Multiple causes of postharvest losses in fresh produce chains Fruit and vegetables are highly perishable in nature and are characterised by high moisture content, active metabolism, and are highly prone to mechanical damage, leading to pathological decay. These characteristics set high requirements to achieve availability of high quality fresh produce to the consumer, without increasing the quantity of PHL along the chain (Kaipia et al.

Once fresh fruit and vegetables are harvested, physiological processes such as respiration, transpiration, and ethylene biosynthesis, continue to take place, limiting the postharvest-life of fresh produce (Akkerman et al. The rate at which these physiological processes take place is influenced by environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity (Dris et al. At temperatures above the optimum (10-15 0C), the rate of deterioration increases 2-3 fold for every 10 0C rise in the temperature (Kader, 2013). Therefore, to minimise the problem of PHL, it is important to understand factors that influence pathological decay.

Such understanding could support the identification of improvement opportunities.2 Interventions for postharvest loss reduction PHL reduction can contribute to improved food security in three different pathways (van Gogh et al., 2017): (1) increasing the availability of food at farm gate and market level, (2) reducing the price of food and thus enhancing potential access, and (3) reducing the volatility and the quality of food availability. According to a report by GIZ (2013), investing in PHL reduction is a quick way to enhance food security without increasing production. PHL reduction could therefore provide an attractive opportunity to improve food security in Sub- Saharan Africa. A wide range of interventions for PHL reduction are suggested in literature.

These interventions vary in scale, planning time required, and associated cost. However, there are instances where the proposed interventions failed because they did not match with the characteristics of a given supply chain (FAO, 2012). More so, adoption of the proposed interventions is low in some cases because of the mismatch between the context situation and the proposed intervention (Karipidis et al., 2009; Ali, 2012; Sheahan & Barrett, 2017). Affognon et al.

(2015) provided several examples of interventions that did not perform optimally when implemented due to many constraints not considered or accounted for in the 3 design or implementation. As such, other researchers, such as, Kitinoja et al. (2011) advocated for simple methods for postharvest handling to be made available in developing countries as high technology solutions might not apply. Since PHL reduction promises to contribute significantly to food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is important that the designing of effective interventions for PHL be earnestly considered.3 Agricultural context of Zimbabwe Agriculture is the backbone of the Zimbabwean economy.

In the year 2000, the government of Zimbabwe initiated the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP), which extensively redistributed land (Goebel, 2005). At Independence in 1980, over 15 million hectares were devoted to large-scale commercial farming and through the FTLRP, about 7.6 million hectares were redistributed (Scoones et al. Overall, there was a significant shift to many small-scale (subsistence) farmers focusing on mixed farming, often with low levels of capitalisation (Moyo, 2011b). Through the FTLRP, the agrarian structure in Zimbabwe now includes small-scale subsistence farms (82.1%), small-scale commercial farms (0.6%), and large-scale commercial farms (0.4 %), categorised based on differences in land size, forms of land tenure, social status of landholders and capacity to hire labour (Moyo, 2011a).

This transformation in landholding resulted in a drastic decrease in agricultural production from the period 2000 to 2010 (Cliffe et al. However, agricultural production, especially of horticultural produce has been on the increase since year 2012, mainly due to new forms of financing agriculture, which include credit and sub-contracting, new joint ventures and state credit and support schemes (SNV, 2014). Fruit and vegetables are the major horticultural crops grown in Zimbabwe. This sector is the fastest growing industry with an average growth of 32% over the last decade and has the potential to develop a strong global competitive position, thereby providing substantial social and economic benefits to the country (SNV, 2014).

However, there is a considerable amount of PHL in the fresh produce chains. Although detailed information of PHL for specific fresh produce chains is limited, the Horticulture Research Centre (2008) estimates the losses to range from 30% to 40%. There is need to design effective interventions for PHL reduction to complement efforts to reduce food insecurity in Zimbabwe and to realise the country’s agricultural potential.2 Problem statement Several interventions for PHL reduction in fresh produce chains have been put forward in literature, however, the proposed interventions fall short in that they are either from a logistics control perspective, (e. supply chain coordination) (Ahumada & Villalobos, 2009; Rong et al., 2009; East, 2011) or from a quality control perspective (e.

The interventions seldom consider concurrently improving quality control and logistics control along the supply chain. According to van der Vorst et al. (2011), simultaneously optimising product quality and logistics control activities could help minimise product losses in fresh produce chains. There is need for insights into how logistics and quality control activities influence the incidence of PHL in fresh produce chains.

Such insights could enable the designing of effective PHL reduction interventions as a basis for development towards sustainable fresh supply chains. Moreover, most of the proposed interventions for PHL reduction overlook the impact of the surrounding environment (context) wherein the fresh produce chains operate. According to Hodges et al. (2010) and Parfitt et al.

(2010), interventions for a sustainable approach to PHL reduction should be planned within the context of the relevant supply chain. There is a knowledge gap concerning the influence of context factors on the incidence of PHL in fresh produce chains. It is therefore imperative that a research approach be derived that not only considers logistics or quality control activities, but also the context wherein the fresh produce chains operate. Previous studies on PHL have mostly estimated quantitative losses with little attention to qualitative losses (Underhill & Kumar, 2015; Sibomana et al., 2016; McKenzie et al.

Moreover, few studies discussed both quantitative and qualitative losses (Hodges et al. However, the studies fell short in estimating the monetary value of such losses (economic losses) and understanding how the losses are distributed over the supply chain. These inadequacies point to the need for a PHL assessment approach that considers all the three types of PHL: quantitative, qualitative, and economic losses. Such an approach could give more insights into the causes, occurrence, and magnitude of PHL in fresh produce chains, thereby enabling the designing of effective interventions for PHL reduction.3 Concepts, theories, and tools Various concepts (i.

logistics management, quality management, and postharvest management), theories (i. systems theory and contingency theory), and tools (i. diagnostic tool and hierarchical decision framework) from several disciplines, are used in this thesis to assess PHL and reduction strategies in fresh produce chains. This section briefly describes these concepts, theories and tools.1 Postharvest management Postharvest management is a set of post-production practices that includes: washing, selection, grading, packing, and storage.

These practices eliminate undesirable elements and improve product appearance, as well as ensuring that the product complies with consumer’s requirements, such as: quality, quantity, and cost (El-Ramady et al. Therefore, the aim of postharvest management is to ensure minimal postharvest losses in the chain. The term ‘postharvest loss’ (PHL) refers to measurable quantitative losses and qualitative food loss in the postharvest system (Kader & Rolle, 2004; Hodges et al. PHL can be categorised into quantitative, qualitative, and economic losses.

Quantitative losses refers to physical losses, measured as loss in weight or volume, of food as unacceptable for human consumption and readily discarded (Hodges et al.