Bridging Policy and Practice: Evaluating Postharvest Loss Interventions: Methods, Frameworks, and Insights from Africa and Asia

SESSION OVERVIEW

Reducing food loss requires more than identifying where losses occur. It also requires monitoring and evaluation systems that can determine whether post-harvest interventions are relevant, effective, equitable, cost-effective and sustainable. This session will examine how assessment methods, capacity-building models and monitoring and evaluation frameworks can generate evidence for programme improvement, policy decisions and action at the community level.

The session brings together two complementary perspectives.

Dr. Vijay Yadav Tokala will draw on the Postharvest Education Foundation’s experience in designing and delivering capacity-building programmes across Africa and Asia. Since 2011, PEF has developed into a global network engaging practitioners in more than 30 countries across five continents. The presentation will examine how PEF’s model, combining assignments, fieldwork and mentoring, can be assessed and adapted to bridge the gap between policy commitments and implementation.

Vijay will introduce tools from the PEF E-Learning Manual, including its 14 assignments covering commodity systems assessment, post-harvest extension, cost-benefit analysis and training programme design. Particular attention will be given to how these tools can support needs assessments, baseline development, indicator selection, monitoring of capacity development and evaluation of programme results.

Dr. Aditya Parmar will focus on assessing and reducing post-harvest loss in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Africa. Drawing on experiences from Mozambique, Madagascar, Namibia and Tanzania, the presentation will examine how handling practices, limited cold-chain infrastructure, market access, gender inequalities and power imbalances contribute to food loss.

The presentation will introduce the six-stage Prepare, Train, Explore, Quantify, Validate and Act framework and related methods, including the Exploratory Fish Loss Assessment Method, Gender-Responsive Fish Loss Assessment Method, Load Tracking and Questionnaire Loss Assessment Method. It will demonstrate how these methods can be used to establish baselines, identify and monitor loss hotspots, collect quantitative and qualitative evidence, validate findings with stakeholders and assess changes resulting from post-harvest interventions.

The presentations will connect assessment, monitoring, evaluation and learning with policy and implementation. The session will show how evidence can be used not only to measure food loss but also to improve intervention design, assess results and support decisions on what works, for whom and under which conditions.

OBJECTIVES

1. Present assessment methods and monitoring and evaluation frameworks for food loss and post-harvest interventions.
2. Demonstrate how evaluation can connect policy commitments with implementation and results at the community level.
3. Examine how PEF’s capacity-building model and tools can support needs assessment, programme monitoring, cost-benefit analysis and evaluation.
4. Introduce methods for establishing baselines, identifying loss hotspots and measuring change in small-scale aquatic food systems.
5. Explore how gender, market access, infrastructure and power relations can be integrated into the evaluation of post-harvest interventions.
6. Share lessons on strengthening the link between evaluation findings, programme improvement, policy decisions and action.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN

1. Develop evaluation questions and indicators for food loss and post-harvest interventions.
2. Select and adapt assessment methods to different commodities and local contexts.
3. Establish baselines and monitor changes in food-loss levels and intervention performance.
4. Apply commodity systems assessment and cost-benefit analysis in programme evaluation.
5. Use quantitative, qualitative and gender-responsive methods to understand why losses occur and who is most affected.
6. Identify and monitor food-loss hotspots across value chains.
7. Engage stakeholders in data collection, validation and interpretation of findings.
8. Develop monitoring and evaluation plans for post-harvest projects and capacity-building programmes.
9. Use evaluation evidence to improve interventions and inform policy and investment decisions.