Better postharvest handling for Samoan smallholder farmers: A practical guide

Steven J R Underhill

This book aims to provide practical advice and strategies to help Samoan smallholder farmers, transporters and vendors to improve postharvest horticultural quality, reduce postharvest loss, and ensure food safety. Samoan horticultural value chains incur moderate levels of postharvest loss. In a recent survey of commercial-scale and smallholder farmer postharvest horticultural losses in Samoa, postharvest loss was shown to be between 10 to 15% (Underhill, et al., 2016). While these figures may not sound dramatic, there is considerable variability in the levels of postharvest losses. For example, the central municipal market in Apia and the Salelologa market on Savaii have higher losses compared to the smaller privately-owned roadside markets. Farmers in the more rural parts of Upolu and Savaii experience higher and more unpredictable levels of postharvest losses, whereas farmers involved in direct selling and contractual farming often have negligible losses. Postharvest losses are higher in fruits than vegetables. Some crops, such as soursop, Tahitian limes, papaya, mustard cabbage, bok choy, choko and avocado, are particularly vulnerable to high levels of loss. Additionally, postharvest handling is more than simply reducing direct losses. Compromised food safety is another significant cause for concern. Unsafe horticultural product is food that cannot be consumed due to microbial or chemical contamination, and which should be removed from the food chain. Ensuring freshness is an issue in Samoa. While horticultural products are generally sold within a few days, it is still quite common for products to be stored and displayed for four to five days, potentially reducing food safety and nutritional value. Nationally, Samoa has unclear horticultural food safety compliance standards. Most horticultural harvesting, transport and handling practices carry a level of food safety risk. In 2015, a preliminary food safety survey by the Scientific Research Organisation in Samoa gave grounds for concern, with around half of the assessed horticultural value chains found to have detectable microbial food safety contamination. Hence, this book also aims to provide strategies to improve horticultural food safety compliance. Throughout this book, the focus is on nil or low-cost postharvest remediation strategies compatible and applicable to Samoa's horticultural production systems. Information is based on numerous postharvest studies by the book's Author of smallholder and community-based horticultural production systems in Samoa and across the South Pacific. Importantly, this book presents a range of simple and practical ideas developed by Pacific smallholder farmers. Maintaining quality and reducing losses is a universal challenge. Many farmers and vendors across the South Pacific have come up with their own solutions, some of the best of which are presented in this book. It should be noted that the author has deliberately avoided recommending or promoting the use of postharvest chemicals. This is for several reasons. Although the responsible and appropriate use of postharvest chemicals is central to most horticultural value chains in Australian and New Zealand, this is coupled with extensive chemical legislation, work health and safety compliance auditing and independent residue testing. In the South Pacific, where it is difficult to identify and enforce safety and compliance, to advocate wider use of chemicals within the food chain may create more problems than resolutions.

Better postharvest handling for Samoan smallholder farmers: A practical guide

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