US Food & Agriculture Organization suggests 13.8% of food is lost in between farm and retailers globally. Other sources cite estimates of 20%, even 40%, especially when discussing farming in developing nations. Post-harvest losses harm farmers economically, as well as the retailers who rely on them, while also wasting much-needed food. How can this be prevented? 1. Pesticides / Fungicides Pesticides are the go-to solution for stopping pests and other invaders. However, chemical pesticides are expensive and can cause significant environmental damage if overused. In some cases, they may even harm seed viability, challenging the farm in the long run. Natural pesticides do exist as well. For example, essential oil of wormseed was found to effectively kill fungus in stored wheat. While preferable to synthetic pesticides, the challenge is in finding natural alternatives for each specific combination of crop and infestation. 2. Hermetic Storage Possibly the most overall effective solution seemed to be the introduction of airtight hermetically-sealed storage solutions. These successfully prevented pests and microbial life from infiltrating stored grains, while also slowing down effects of time and oxidation. A combination of sealed storage, as well as sealed bags for deliveries, were capable of greatly reducing overall losses. For many farms who can afford the investment, this may be the best "one shot" solution to reducing post-harvest loss. 3. Other Options - Cold storage. Refrigerated storage units slow down spoilage and preserve harvested crops for longer. The FAO estimates that over 500 million tons of food are lost each year to simple spoilage. - Aggregation centers. Use of centralized services for storing crops from many producers can allow smaller farms to see the benefits of hermetic or cold storage, with much smaller costs. - On-site packaging. Rather than sending crops uncovered to be packaged, opening them up to damage and loss, packaging them on-site at the farm can improve overall successful shipping rates. - Improved food monitoring/tracking. Modern smart systems can be used to track the movement of food from farm to distributor to shelf, helping to narrow down sources of lossage along the way. In short, post-harvest losses are a global problem across the agriculture industry. Improved education, along with adoption of better storage and shipping methods backed by scientific data, can do a lot to reduce the problem.