In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the adoption of Returnable Plastic Crates (RPCs) within the Nigerian tomato supply chain to address the persistent issue of food Loss. Undoubtedly, this technology has substantially reduced tomato losses experienced by those involved in the supply chain.
The next step is to assess the actual impact of this technology on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers (SHFs).
Furthermore, developing a more robust business model for market access for SHFs to mitigate the negative effects of unscrupulous practices within the supply chain could make a substantial difference.
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) are currently executing work packages 2 and 3 as part of the CGIAR Initiative known as Rethinking Food Markets. Within the framework of this initiative, these two research organizations have implemented a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Kano state to evaluate the effectiveness of a simple technology, plastic crates, in reducing post-harvest losses (PHL) in the Nigerian tomato value chain.
This project is collaborating with Bunkasa Agritech in handling the actual training and awareness of selected farmers in Kano towards their involvement in this project and also implement and oversee the crate renting exercises to harvest the needed data during this period.
