The implications of post-harvest losses on food and nutrition security in smallholder vegetable farming

The implications of post-harvest losses on food and nutrition security in smallholder vegetable farming | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The implications of post-harvest losses on food and nutrition security in smallholder vegetable farming Michael Tarekegn, Sibongile Tekana, Michael Antwi, Shimelis Admassu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7823859/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study examined the implications of post-harvest losses (PHL) on food and nutrition security among smallholder vegetable farmers in the East Showa Zone of Oromia, Ethiopia. Data from 359 households were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and binary logistic models. Results showed that vegetable farming contributes over 90 percent of household income, yet PHL remain high -averaging 10.23 percent for vegetables and 13.81 percent for fruits. At the national level (2011–2020), about 2.96 million tons of fruits and vegetables were lost, food sufficient to feed 1.35 million people annually if losses were reduced by 25 percent. Factors such as farm size, education, access to credit, cooperative membership, and adoption of post-harvest management practices significantly influenced household food security. Conversely, gender and age disparities constrained outcomes. The study concludes that reducing PHL offers a strategic path to improving household income, food availability, and nutrition. It recommends policy actions that strengthen rural finance, farmer training, post-harvest infrastructure, and cooperative efficiency to build resilient, food-secure farming systems in Ethiopia. Horticulture Post-harvest loss food security nutrition smallholders vegetables Ethiopia livelihoods Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical clearance for this research was obtained from University of South Africa (UNISA). Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to interviews and data collection. Participation was voluntary, and confidentiality was strictly maintained throughout the study Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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