Post Harvest Waste Reduction – Vivia Foundation

Post Harvest Waste Reduction:

Clean Works India

Clean Works India is a transformative, self-sustainable model for rural farms –designed to substantially reduce post-harvest food waste, while building economic resiliency and climate-smart practices for small-holder farmers.

Clean Works creates new market opportunities for nutritious fresh produce and high value food products through “in-the-field” packing and clean, safe food processing systems. Solutions are simple and low cost, using new adaptive technologies. Clean Works serves as an integrated “clean” model for climate smart agriculture, food safety, water management and energy use. Results have direct, positive benefits and impacts for the agri-food value chain, farmer livelihoods, local societies, the climate-smart environment and the circle economy.

India is the world’s second largest producer of fresh produce. About 70% of India’s population is comprised of rural workers, and about 60% of those workers are small-holder farmers – many who loose significant income due to their spoiled and damaged crop yields. They live at a fragile edge of poverty and suffer from food insecurity due to extensive post harvest losses.

Clean Works Centers are self-sustaining, remotely operated, “off-the grid” facilities. The Centers enable new methods for “in-the-field” post-harvest food processing, packing and storage. With the adoption of new innovations designed to extend shelf life, perishable and staple foods are of higher value, food safe, and consumable and marketable for many more days, weeks or months. The Clean Works India program is scalable, applying existing, integrated technology solutions.

Programs are be managed in India by Farmer-Producer Organizations (FPO’s), with agri-food experts and advisors. Pilot programs are initiated in rural Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and soon in other neighboring states. A “Dry Chain for Groundnuts” research study with UC Davis is underway in Andhra Pradesh which will establish a food-safe approach to eliminate carcinogenic Aflatoxins in the food supply chain through improved on-farm cultivation, processing and storage practices.

Clean Works India is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDG’s) and federal government objectives for “Clean India.” Clean Works India serves as a new sustainable model for similar remote rural farming regions throughout the world.

View Project Summary

A Model for Rural India’s Food Supply Chain – Sustainable pilot for reducing food loss and increasing economic value for small-holder farmers

The Clean Works India project creates new sources of income and prosperity, health and well-being for rural farming communities in India by using foods which would otherwise go to waste.

Extended shelf life, improved nutrition, and expanded distribution of fresh produce, food and beverage products are driven by “smarter” flexible packaging solutions. Fresh products are packed utilizing more sustainable, efficient packaging solutions. Processing, packaging and product distribution systems are enhanced by localized, decentralized, self-sustaining rural facilities. Fresh produce, such as kiwi fruit, will be packed in air to substantially reduce transport and distribution spoilage. Retail centers will financially incentivize consumers to recycle used packaging materials, which will be collected and reused in the supply chain.

Importantly, there is great potential for increased revenues in the local economies in India gained from year-round, profitable, efficient farm-centered harvesting and processing of food and beverage products.

Clean Works India will track and trace the interoperability of the sustainable supply chain to report on reduction of food loss, reduction in energy use, logistical efficiencies, food quality and safety, consumer and small-holder farmer nutrition, social well-being, and positive economic outcomes.

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