Social Sustainability
Post-Harvest Handling
Definition
Post-harvest handling covers all operations between harvest and consumption or primary processing: drying, threshing, storage, cooling, transport and packaging. Inadequate post-harvest systems are a principal cause of food loss — the FAO estimates around 14% of food is lost between harvest and retail — through spoilage, pests, mycotoxin contamination and damage.
References
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This reference provides supporting context for how “Post-Harvest Handling” is defined and used.
Overview
How it is used
The term is standard in agricultural development, food loss measurement (SDG 12. 3), and value-chain programmes by FAO, the World Food Programme and national extension services.
Why it matters
Reducing post-harvest loss is among the highest-return, lowest-regret sustainability interventions: it saves embedded land, water and emissions while improving food security directly.