A Professor of Post-harvest Engineering, Energy Studies and Environmental Management at the University of Ibadan, Professor Ademola Kabir Aremu, has called for increased investment in postharvest engineering, describing it as a cost-effective strategy for reducing food losses, improving food availability and strengthening food security in Nigeria.

Aremu made the call while delivering the 618th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Technology.

The lecture was titled, “Another Challenge: Crops, Crops Everywhere but Little Food on the Table: The Postharvest Engineer’s Struggles.”

The professor said that despite increases in agricultural production over the years, millions of Nigerians still experience food insecurity because a significant proportion of harvested food never reaches consumers due to poor postharvest management.

According to him, the failure of many agricultural development initiatives stems from an overemphasis on increasing production without corresponding attention to postharvest operations such as processing, storage, transportation, preservation, and distribution, thereby limiting the impact of increased production on household food security.

Speaking on the prevalence of food insecurity, he noted that postharvest losses remain one of its greatest causative factors, particularly in developing countries, where inadequate infrastructure, poor storage facilities, inefficient handling practices, lack of modern technologies and climate variability contribute significantly to food losses.

The Inaugural lecturer noted that although Nigeria’s Agricultural Policy emphasizes modernization of agricultural production, processing, storage, and distribution through improved technologies, inadequate postharvest engineering input has continued to undermine the achievement of these objectives.

He stated that postharvest engineering bridges the gap between food abundance and scarcity by improving food processing, storage, transportation and preservation while enhancing resource utilisation and ensuring that more food reaches consumers.

The Professor of Postharvest Engineering noted that although the world currently produces enough food to feed its growing population, about one-third of global food production is lost or wasted annually, with losses in Sub-Saharan Africa occurring mainly before food reaches consumers.

He lamented that in Nigeria, postharvest losses are particularly severe in fruits, vegetables, tomatoes and tubers, reducing food availability, farmers’ incomes and the nutritional quality of food while increasing market prices and worsening household food insecurity.

Aremu explained that postharvest engineering employs technologies such as improved harvesting methods, sorting and grading systems, cooling technologies, modern packaging, storage facilities, value addition and food processing techniques to preserve agricultural produce and extend shelf life.

He also highlighted the role of renewable energy, especially solar energy, in reducing postharvest losses through solar cooking, solar drying and solar-powered storage systems developed to preserve agricultural produce, particularly in rural communities with limited electricity supply.

The don stressed that reducing postharvest losses would improve food availability, increase farmers’ incomes, reduce food prices, minimise environmental waste and contribute significantly to achieving sustainable development and national food security.

He advocated increased government investment in rural infrastructure, including roads, cold-chain facilities, storage systems and renewable energy technologies, alongside policies that promote food processing, value addition and digital technologies that provide farmers with timely market information.

The lecturer called for stronger collaboration among governments, international development partners, universities, research institutions, farmers and the private sector to develop and commercialise technologies capable of reducing food losses across the agricultural value chain.

He also recommended the introduction of compulsory courses on postharvest food losses in higher institutions, the establishment of dedicated centres of excellence on postharvest studies and expanded extension services to ensure research findings translate into practical solutions for farmers.