Recent research by North Carolina State Horticulture Ph.D. Lisa Johnson, across eight crops, shows that an average of 22% more first-quality food is left in fields when farmers have finished their commercial harvest. Yikes! That “Post-Harvest Yield Potential” can be measured to improve farmers’ bottom lines and get more fresh produce to people in need.
SoSA staff works to partner in research projects to measure post-harvest yield potential and help our farm partners. Email research@endhunger.org to learn more about these projects or get involved.
Further reducing waste ensures we are doing everything we can to see that all agricultural inputs — soil, seed, acreage, water, nutrients, and labor — meet their best use: feeding people and keeping families on their farms.
– Lynette Johnson, Executive Director, The Society of St. Andrew
Links/PDFS
The Unharvested Farm Produce Dilemma
Study measured surplus produce unharvested in the fields on farms in Tennessee, revealing that 76% of the produce left was of marketable or edible quality.