FOOD PROCESSING AND POST-HARVEST HANDLING INNOVATION LAB

Hunger, malnutrition, and poverty remain stubbornly persistent in many developing countries despite advances made in agriculture productivity in recent years.  This is due in part to high food losses, especially after harvest.  The Mission of the Food Processing and Post-Harvest Handling Innovation Lab is to develop sustainable, market-driven value chains that reduce food losses, improve food and nutrition security, and contribute to economic growth for farmers in Kenya and Senegal, and other Feed the Future countries.  Our research focus to achieve this goal will involve:

Grain Drying and Storage - Post-harvest grain losses in Africa most often occur due to poor drying after harvest, causing mold contamination, and insect infestation during storage. 
Food Processing and Nutrition - These efforts aim to increase and diversify food processing and markets for cereal and legume products at the rural and urban levels, and to create a sustainable market-driven model for nutritionally-enhanced foods. 

For more information:

Jake Ricker-Gilbert, Agricultural Economics, jrickerg@purdue.edu