WFP, China Varsity Collaborate to Tackle Post-Harvest Losses with New Online Capacity-Building for Small Farmers

The World Food Programme, WFP Centre of Excellence for Rural Transformation (WFP China COE), an initiative of the United Nation, has announced an online capacity-building workshop for smallholders farmers with the technical support of China Agricultural University (CAU) in Beijing.

BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports the online training tagged “Empowering Smallholders for Food Security and Resilience – Online Training on Post-harvest Loss Management Technologies for Smallholders” is tailored to introduce practical, scalable post-harvest management technologies and facilitate knowledge exchange among developing countries.

A statement e-signed by Mr. Zhao Bing, representative of WFP China Office, and made available to BIGPEN NIGERIA, said that the public, online capacity-building initiative would be conducted via ZOOM where government officials, technical experts, enterprises and other stakeholders who engaged in post-harvest loss management for smallholders in developing countries would have opportunity to engaged.

Staff from WFP and other international organizations working on relevant topics or with an interest in post-harvest loss management technologies for smallholders are also expected to participate.

The training would equip smallholders and practitioners with proven tools and approaches, as it intend to contributes to WFP’s global commitment in strengthening developing countries’ food security and food system resilience, while advancing South-South and Triangular cooperation for sustainable development.

The programme would strengthen knowledge sharing and exchange on effective post-harvest management technologies for smallholders.

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It would ennhance the institutional and technical capacities of the participants on sound practical tools, operational models, and proven technologies.

Moreso, it would facilitate cross-sector dialogue and partnership among diverse stakeholders to enrich the collective understanding of post-harvest challenges and explore practical and scalable solutions for smallholders.

Participants are expected to attend the four training sessions that would offer simultaneous interpretation in Chinese, English, French, and Spanish to ensure inclusive participation.

The webinar recordings will be edited and uploaded at the WFP China South-South Cooperation Knowledge Platform and Cloud School (www.wfpchinacoe.net) as video courses.

The statement hinted that Certificate of Completion will be awarded to participants who attend all four sessions, with no less than 80 minutes participation for each session. Participants are requested to register with their official full name and a valid email address to facilitate certificate issuance.

“If participants cannot meet the required participation duration for the live training sessions due to unforeseen technical or network difficulties, an alternative pathway is available. Participants may still obtain a certificate by completing the corresponding video courses on the WFP China South-South Cooperation Cloud School (http://cloudschool.wfpchinacoe.net/), which are derived from the original session recordings and materials.

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WFP China COE reserves the final authority on all matters concerning certificate eligibility and issuance”, Bing said.

The webinar lecture series will be handled by Professor Ms. LIU Yanhong of the China Agricultural University, will hold between: 19:00-20:00 Beijing time/11:00-12:00 GMT on 1, 3, 8, 10 September 2026 with the first session taking place on Tuesday with the topic, “Fruits and Vegetables Preservation and Storage Technologies”.

The 2rd session with the topic “Fruit and Vegetable Drying Technologies” will hold on Thursday September 3, and Session III with topic; “Emergency Grain and Oil Storage and In-Store Drying Technologies” will hold Tuesday September 8 while the last session with the topic; “Aflatoxin Prevention and Control Technologies for Grain and Oil” to hold Thursday September 10, 2026.

Food security remains a top priority for the global community, yet it continues to pose a significant challenge. In 2025, an estimated 2.1 billion people – 25.8 percent of the global population – were moderately or severely food insecure, and new global estimates of hunger confirm sustained, gradual improvement.

Post-harvest losses is a critical yet often overlooked driver of food insecurity worldwide. Approximately 13.3 percent of food produced globally is lost after harvest—during handling, storage, transport, and processing—before it even reaches retail markets.

The post-harvest losses in Sub-Saharan Africa are estimated at more than 30% of the total harvest and loses up to 50% of fruits and vegetables produced annually, and in South Asia, over 30% of all food in the region is lost or wasted each year, which is enough to feed nearly 300 million people.

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Smallholder farmers constitute the backbone of global food security, when they are the major food producer in developing countries contributing roughly 35 percent of global food production.

However, losses are particularly acute among smallholder farmers because they often lack access to improved technologies, adequate infrastructure, and modern handling and storage practices. These constraints make it difficult to maintain product quality after harvest, leading to higher levels of spoilage, pest infestation, and moisture-related damage compared with larger commercial producers.

Reducing post-harvest losses among smallholders is one of the most cost-effective and sustainable pathways to improving food availability. Even modest improvements can generate substantial gains: by preserving more of what is already produced, countries can enhance food security without expanding agricultural land, reduce pressure on natural resources, increase farmers’ incomes, improve rural livelihoods, and strengthen national food systems in the face of climate and market shocks.

Importantly, smallholders themselves stand to benefit the most. Lower losses mean higher marketable volumes, more stable earnings, reduced vulnerability to seasonal price fluctuations, and greater capacity to reinvest in improved technologies and practices—ultimately strengthening their resilience and long-term productivity.

Since 2016, WFP Centre of Excellence for Rural Transformation (WFP China COE) has convened a range of thematic South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) capacity building activities to help developing countries enhance food security and strengthen food system resilience by sharing post-harvest loss management solutions and experience from China and other countries. Thousands of participants have benefited from the replicable experience through these initiatives.

Please kindly find the REGISTRATION link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_w3c9cht4Q8mV4RE8W8ypvA

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