Postharvest food loss reduction and agriculture policy framework in Tanzania: status and way forward

AbstractIn 2014, Tanzania became a signatory of the African Union Postharvest Loss Management Strategy (AU-PHLMS) under the Malabo Declaration, a policy framework of the African Union aimed at reducing the continent's postharvest food losses by 50 percent by 2025. Though Tanzania has several agriculture development policies, very little research exists on to what extent the postharvest food loss agenda is reflected and integrated into Tanzania's agriculture policy framework, making it difficult to assess Tanzania's commitment and progress made to realize these ambitious targets in 2025. Using a scoping review method, this study reviews agriculture-food security policies and programs enacted by the government of Tanzania from the 1990s to 2022. Findings reveal that despite high postharvest food losses, policies, and agriculture development programs in favor of increasing food production remain the central focus of the government, while interventions to eliminate food loss and waste have not been prioritized. Results also show that with nearly half of the food produced not reaching consumers, Tanzania's ambitions to be food secure may only be realized if policy measures to increase crop productivity go hand in hand with preventing postharvest food losses. The study calls for full policy integration of postharvest management programs and more investment in farmer-focused interventions to reduce food loss and waste in Tanzania.