SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY
AND POVERTY REDUCTION
THROUGH AGRICULTURAL PROCESSING
BY
ENGR. DR. ADESOLA SATIMEHIN
Ag. Head of Department
Dept of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering
Federal University Oye-Ekiti
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE OF HUNGER AND FOOD
INSECURITY
• The 2007 food price crisis, which was
repeated in 2010, led to food riots in many
countries across the world such as Greece,
India and Mexico etc.
• The crisis was compounded by worldwide
financial crisis
Hungry people
1999 – 2007
1999 – 2007
Over 1 billion
800 million
50% - Smallholder farmers
22% - Rural landless squatters
20% - Urban poor
8% - Fishermen,
animal herdsmen,
forest dwellers
> 44 million more since June
2010
• Scrimshaw (1986) described hunger as an
unnecessary disgrace to our global
society having serious political,
economic, and social consequences.
• The UN Resources for Speakers on Global
Issues, calls it “the greatest scandal of
our age”. Hunger is unnecessary because
we produce more than enough to feed
every single person in the world
CHALLENGES TO WORLD FOOD SECURITY
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rising food prices
Population growth
Rapid diet changes
Threats to agricultural production
Inefficient production practices and supply chains
Declining investment in food system research.
In addition to causing widespread human
suffering, food insecurity contributes to migration
to urban areas and across borders, and political
and economic instability.
CHALLENGES TO WORLD FOOD SECURITY
Population growth
o As at 7.00 am today 29th January 2013, the
world population was estimated at 7,062,714,776
(US Census Bureau).
o Africa alone accounts for > 1 billion
o World population to hit 9 billion by 2050
o Africa to host 1.9 – 2.2 inhabitants by 2050
o By 2050 demand for food in Africa is expected to
triple (Thoraya Obeid – ED, UN Population Fund:
speaking on the BBC in 2009 )
THE AFRICAN SCENERIO
• In 1950, the population ratio for developing countries
to developed countries is projected to shift from 2:1.
• By 2050 the ratio is expected to change to 6:1.
• As the world population has grown
o The land available per capita in 1950 was
13.5 ha/person
o By 2050 it is going to shrink to 1.5 ha/person
• 4% of GDP is invested into agriculture
• <6% of total spending agriculture R&D comes from
private companies: many of them on agricultural
products for industrial raw materials
Africa’s population figures by subregion (millions)
Sub-Region
Population (millions)
Central Africa
East Africa
North Africa
West Africa
Total
125.7
318.8
209.4
298.6
952.5
Source: UNPF (2009) State of the World Report
A cross-section of Africa’s teaming population
HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION
OF FOOD SECURITY
• Access to food is not a privilege: it a fundamental
human right
• Hunger, is a violation of the right of man to food.
Hunger and food insecurity, therefore have grave
human rights implications
• According to Oliver De Schutter, the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, the right to
food is a human right recognized under international
law which protects the right of all human beings to
feed themselves in dignity, either by producing their
food or by purchasing it.
HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION
OF FOOD SECURITY
• The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Committee
of
the
United
Nations
Commission for Human Rights authoritatively
stated in its General Comment 12 that “The
right to adequate food is realized when every
man, woman and child, alone or in
community with others, has physical and
economic access at all times to adequate
food or means for its procurement.”
HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION
OF FOOD SECURITY
• The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Committee of the UN Commission for Human
Rights authoritatively stated in its General
Comment 12 that “The right to adequate
food is realized when every man, woman and
child, alone or in community with others, has
physical and economic access at all times to
adequate food or means for its
procurement.”
HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION
OF FOOD SECURITY
The right to food is recognized in the 1948
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(Art. 25) as part of the right to an
adequate standard of living, and is
enshrined in the 1966 International
Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (Art. 11).
HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION
OF FOOD SECURITY
It is also recognized in specific international
instruments such as the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (Art. 24(2)(c) and
27(3)), the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (Art. 12(2)), or the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(Art. 25(f) and 28(1)).
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
HUNGER AND FOOD INSECRUTITY
• Hunger reduces the energy people need for an
active life.
• Undernourishment caused by hunger makes it
hard to study, work or perform other physical
activities.
• Undernourishment is particularly harmful for
women and children.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
HUNGER AND FOOD INSECRUTITY
• Constant hunger weakens the immune system
and makes people more vulnerable to
diseases.
• Mothers living with constant hunger often
give birth to underweight and weak babies,
and face increased risk of death in childbirth.
ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF HUNGER
AND FOOD INSECURITY FOR CHILDREN
Health consequences
• Poorer overall health status and compromises
the ability to resist illness
• Elevated occurrence of health problems such
as stomach aches, headaches, colds, ear
infections, and fatigue
• Greater incidence of hospitalizations
ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF HUNGER
AND FOOD INSECURITY FOR CHILDREN
Psycho-social and Behavioural consequences
• Higher levels of aggression, hyperactivity, and
anxiety as well as passivity
• Difficulty getting along with other children
(and self withdrawal)
• Increased need for mental health services
ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF HUNGER
AND FOOD INSECURITY FOR CHILDREN
Learning and Academic consequences
• Impaired cognitive functioning and diminished
capacity to learn
• Lower test scores and poorer overall
performance at school
• Repeating a grade in school
• Increased school absenteeism, tardiness, and
suspension from school
School Food Programme
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HUNGER IN AFRICA?
• Poverty is the principal cause of hunger in
Africa and elsewhere.
• Poverty may be defined as the state of a
person not having enough money to meet
his/her basic needs including food,
clothing, shelter and health benefits.
• Simply put, people who do not have
sufficient income to purchase enough food
may be considered to be poor.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HUNGER IN AFRICA?
• Yes, conflict and drought, for example,
are certainly important causes of
hunger, but the most typical situation is
that people just do not have enough
income to purchase the food that they
need.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HUNGER IN AFRICA?
• Africa is still faced with mass poverty and
remains the poorest continent.
• Sub-Saharan Africa in particular has the
majority of its population living in absolute
poverty, subsisting on less than US $ 1 a day,
and suffering from chronic hunger,
malnutrition and pandemic diseases (Nyange
et al., 2011).
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HUNGER IN AFRICA?
• 75% of the rural population comprises
of peasant farmers who earn a living
from small plots of poor soils, in
tropical environments that are
increasingly prone to drought, floods,
bushfires, and hurricanes.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HUNGER IN AFRICA?
• Crop yields in the rural areas are low and
stagnant; and epidemics of pests and
diseases often ruin crops.
• Livestock suffers from endemic diseases,
some of which are zoonotic.
• In all these causes of hunger enumerated,
poverty is at the root of them all.
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH POVERTY
IN AFRICA?
• Despite all the wealthy resources in its
possession, Africa is the world's poorest
continent.
• Today, over 300 million African people (i.e.
about 30% of the people) live on less than $1
US per day. The incidence of extreme poverty
never seems to abate
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH POVERTY
IN AFRICA?
• What causes this entrenched poverty, on a
continent rich with natural resources?
• The question of what causes poverty in Africa is
the subject of intense academic debate.
Unfortunately, poverty in Africa doesn't result
from just one or two causes. There are a number
of different intricately interwoven factors, all
interacting with one another, that make the
problem of entrenched poverty extremely
complex and difficult to solve.
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH POVERTY
IN AFRICA?
• Some of the major causes of poverty in Africa
are:
• harmful economic systems,
• Wars and armed conflicts,
• poor farm policy,
• lack of access to credit,
• rampant unemployment,
• lack of access to education,
• Pandemic of disease
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH POVERTY
IN AFRICA?
• Lack of infrastructure
– Lack of access to clean water is worst in Cairo,
Lagos and Kinshasa
• corrupt government,
• poor leadership
• high crime rate.
CURRENT EFFORTS AT MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• In their efforts at addressing the problem of hunger and
food insecurity most national governments in Africa
tend to act along the line of enhancing crop and land
productivity, through the use of improved seeds,
application of chemical fertilizers, provision of irrigation
water and review of land ownership policies.
• As a result of the interventions at boosting agricultural
production, we find that year in year out, farmers,
especially in Nigeria, produce a wide range agricultural
products but a substantial proportion of what is grown is
lost at the post-harvest stage.
CURRENT EFFORTS AT MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• It is estimated that as much as 25% of fruits,
40% vegetables and 15-20% grains are wasted
after harvest. These losses are of grave
economic consequences as they represent
wastage in the farmers’ effort, farm inputs and
investments. More so, those crops that are lost
are no longer available to man. It is crucially
important, therefore, that post-harvest losses
must be eliminated in order to enhance food
security.
CURRENT EFFORTS AT MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
Olayemi et al.(2012) carried out an assessment of
postharvest losses of some crops in eight local
government areas of Rivers State. They found out
that all the 450 farmers studied in the three zones
used traditional methods of storage for their
produce and experienced heavy postharvest losses.
According to the researchers, the mean postharvest
losses were 35% for fish, 37.33% for yam, 27.67% for
cassava, 20.33% for maize, 27% for plantain and 33%
for vegetable.
CURRENT EFFORTS AT MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
These levels of postharvest losses are
unacceptable.
High postharvest losses are clearly a
disincentive to farmers as they do not
obtain rewards that are commensurate with
their labour.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• It can be seen, therefore, that improving crop
productivity is generally not enough to lift
smallholder farmers out of poverty. Farmers must
also add value to their primary production and
diversify their range of income-earning activities,
both on and off the farm. Surpluses must
therefore be stored temporarily, but processed
into more stable products
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• Processing of agricultural produce has tremendous
benefits. It helps to improve postharvest handling.
reduce postharvest losses, increase income and
improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers as
well as those of the agro-processors. Agricultural
processing also helps to prevent products’ spoilage
and improve its shelf life. It helps to retain nutritive
value of products and ensure availability of products
all the year round.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• Processing helps to transform an agricultural
commodity into a more palatable form and
improve the flavour of edible products. Agroprocessing helps to preserve products’ integrity
so as to ensure their availability even at distant
and remote places.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• Agricultural processing refers to the
series of operations performed on a
commodity (be it from agriculture,
forestry or fisheries) so as to transform
it from its raw state into food and nonfood consumer products.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• Agricultural processing therefore include
primary processing operations such as seed
and grain cleaning, sorting, grading and
separation, threshing and shelling.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• All of these primary processes are geared toward preparing the
produce for secondary processing such as chipping, dicing,
dehydration, deep frying, size reduction by milling, and for
tertiary processing such as in extrusion, pasteurisation and
canning.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• Agricultural processing therefore include primary processing
operations such as seed and grain cleaning, sorting, grading
and separation, threshing and shelling. All of these primary
processes are geared toward preparing the produce for
secondary processing such as chipping, dicing, dehydration,
deep frying, size reduction by milling, and for tertiary
processing such as in extrusion, pasteurisation and canning.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• In all of these agricultural processing
operations, people are required for the
design of the processing techniques, and
fabrication of machines for the operations.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• People are also required for the design and
construction of diverse crop storage
structures including silos, bunkers, cold
storage facilities and for environmental
control in storage.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL
PROCESSING IN MITIGATING FOOD
INSECURITY AND POVERTY?
• The processed food must be appropriately
packaged and properly stored so as to
enhance its effective distribution over
time and space. Every one of these
processing operations is an avenue for job
creation, income generation, poverty
reduction and enhance food security.
Examples of value-addition achievable
through agro-processing
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Threshing
Drying
Rice milling
Quality control and Inspection of grain
Grain storage
By-product utilization
Rice processing
Examples of value-addition achievable
through agro-processing
• Soybean and cowpea flour production
• Fruit processing including fruit juice extraction,
vegetable oil extraction, seeds decortications
• Cassava processing to produce: chip, gari, cassava
flour, cassava starch
• Yam flour and yam starch production
• Rice and Maize can be dry-milled into flour
• Oil seeds can be fermented
• Plantain chips and flour
Plantain processing for wealth creation
• Plantain processing has the capacity to create
150,000 jobs in two years. Matured plantain
can be processed into many products such as
chips and flour.
• Unripe plantain is spiced and deep-fried to
produce crispy chips which can be packaged
and sold as snacks at schools and to travelers.
(The Nation Newspaper: Monday January 21,
2013).
• The unit operations in plantain
processing include peeling, chipping
drying, milling and packaging. People
are required in these areas as drivers,
marketers and machine operators in
processing factories
Case Study of Small-scale agricultural
processing in parts of Africa
Agroprocessing women group in Ethiopia
Farmers in Kaduna State practice making yam flour
Source: Winrock International, 2011, www.winrock.org
CONCLUSION
• A significant amount of the food produced in
African countries is lost after harvest thereby
aggravating hunger. Most food crops of Africa
such as cassava, banana and sweet potatoes are
perishable crops with a lot of storage and postharvest problems. Productivity is limited by
their rapid rate of deterioration soon after
harvesting, if processing into more shelf-stable
products is delayed.
CONCLUSION
• Estimates of post-harvest losses in Africa are
hard to determine, but some authorities put
losses to as high as 50 percent of what is
produced. It is therefore, important to develop
and deploy crop varieties with improved shelf
life.
• All of this can be arrested if surpluses are
converted into more shelf-stable products.
• This enhances food security. Processing
activities create employment, wealth and
reduces poverty
CONCLUSION
• Agro-processing techniques can also be used
to convert agricultural waste into useful
products such as industrial fibres, bio-ethanol,
animal feeds, fertilizers, cosmetics and
pharmaceuticals. African countries should use
agro-processing technology to bring about
value addition, thereby reducing and/or
eliminating post-harvest losses.
CONCLUSION
• Technologies for processing and/or value
addition are available in many parts of
Nigeria: all of which are capable of wealth
creation and, thus, poverty reduction.
• Many small and medium scale processing
machines are locally manufactured in
Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, Ilorin and many
other cities across the country.
SOME PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
MANUFACTURED IN NIGERIA
Cassava grater
Hammer mill
Cassava flash dryer
Locally manufactured cassava flash dryer
Source: Engr (Dr) B.A. Adelekan and Engr V.O. Olomo
Rotary garri fryer
Source: Engr (Dr) B.A. Adelekan and Engr V.O. Olomo
NCAM motorized cassava root chipper
Locally manufactured cassava chipping machines
Source: Engr (Dr) B.A. Adelekan and Engr V.O. Olomo
A 3-tonne rotary paddy rice dryer
Fabricated in NCRI Pateggi
Paddy rice parboiling vessels
equipped with steam boilers
Fabricated in NCRI Pateggi
Medium scale complete rice processing plants
CONCLUSION
• The multiplier effects of agricultural
processing are unquantifiable. A vibrant,
competitive agro-processing sector has the
capacity to increase production and sales of
agricultural products. This in turn will lead to
greater demand for agricultural inputs, create
more diversified and stable markets, and
improve income opportunities for farmers.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Need for strategies to improve food security
in Africa
• To attain improved nutritional well-being and
sustainable food security in Africa, emphasis
should be put on strategies that will reduce
the problems of poverty and
underdevelopment because these are the
underlying impediments to adequate access
to food by all individuals.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Since agriculture is the mainstay of the
economies in many African countries,
emphasis should therefore be put in
developing strategies that will improve
agricultural and farming systems, reduce post
harvest food losses, improve food processing
and marketing systems.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• The private sector should play increased roles
agriculture research and efforts.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• More public enlightenment is
required to help the general
public and especially the farming
population to know the
enormous but untapped benefits
that abound in adding values to
their harvest.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• The Department of Agricultural and Bioresources
Engineering of FUOYE plans to lead in this
enlightenment campaign by organising a National
Training Course on Post-harvest Technology and
Processing of Agricultural Crops in conjunction
with Department of Food Science and Tech, and
FIIRO. The training programme is being planned
to hold here and hosted by the management of
FUOYE. Sponsorship to be sought from SMEDAN,
RMRDC, Food Reserve Agency.
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