The AGRODEP training course on Losses along Food Value Chains was held from October 17-19. The course was instructed by Maximo Torero and Luciana Delgado of IFPRI and Monica Schuster of the University of Antwerp.
The training course was designed to provide an understanding of the key concepts and issues related to food loss and waste along value chains and the methodological approaches employed in its measure. A particular focus was the proposed methodology to account for Potential Food Loss and Waste (PFLW) along value chains and its recent application to bean, maize, and potato value chains in the region.
Twelve AGRODEP members participated in the course: Olusegun Joshua Ajetomobi, Adebusola Adepoju, Mahyao Adolphe, Friday Ajagbe, Raphael Babatunde, Francis Kemeze, Lawrence Mapemba, Luke Olarinde, Olawale Olayide, Evans Osabuohien, Kabir Kayode Salman, and Adebayo Shittu. The participants represent four countries and a wide range of experience and interests. The training course was highly praised by all participants; participant feedback will be valuable in improving future training experiences of AGRODEP members. The quotes below highlight just some of the positive feedback received.
Luke Olarinde of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology had this to say about the course:
"The training on Losses along Food Value Chains was one of the best AGRODEP trainings I have attended so far. Though the training days were short and fully loaded, the instructors made the sessions so interesting that, at the end of each day, I could not believe the quantum/load of interesting issues and topics we covered."
Olawale Olayide of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria gave this feedback:
"I have been made to realize that food loss is not just about quantity but also about quality or value loss. There are also social, economic, and environmental dimensions to food loss and waste . . .the training workshop has impacted on me the immediate need to conduct empirical research on food losses and food waste in different contexts and on different agricultural commodities . . ."
Kabir Kayode Salman of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria gave this feedback:
"The AGRODEP training on Losses along Food Value Chains was indeed outstanding and creative, most especially with the genuine application of stochastic frontier estimation to measure potential losses along the value chain. This is indeed a landmark and breakthrough in development economics . . . The training has therefore expanded the scope of value chains given the importance of food losses in agricultural economies, especially in Africa."
Learn more about the training course and view pictures.