Can crop breeding fight food loss and waste

Each year, nearly one-third of the food producedfor human consumption is lost or wasted globally.

In the poorest regions, food loss and waste severely reduce food availability, driving up prices and limiting access to food for low-income households. The livelihoods of farmers and producers are also at risk when food must be sold at lower prices or discarded because of deterioration or poor quality. Food loss and waste squander the water, land, energy, and other natural resources used in food production, contributing to 6-10%of greenhouse gas emissions.

Reducing food loss and waste offers immense environmental, social, and economic benefits. In response, CGIAR crop breeding programs, backed by Accelerated Breeding Initiative, are addressing food loss and waste at various stages of the food supply chain in developing countries.

At the production stage

In regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America, about one-third of all food lossesin cereals, roots, tubers, pulses, and oilseeds occur during agricultural production - before harvest.

Several factors contribute to these losses.

Abiotic stress-caused by non-living factors like extreme temperatures, salinity, drought, and flooding- is one of the main reasons for massive monetary and production losses.As the frequency of these stresses intensifies with climate change, they pose a growing threat to crop productivity, exacerbating food losses in developing countries.

At CGIAR,22% of our crop breeding portfolio is focused on developing varieties resilient to abiotic stresses, particularly those related to climate change. Breeders collaborating with Accelerated Breeding Initiative are developing crops like rice, maize, wheat, sweet potato, and potatowith increased tolerance to climatic stresses, such as water scarcity and rising temperatures. These improved varieties are being introduced across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Biotic stresses, caused by living organisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects, and weeds, also play a significant role in food losses.

About 15% of CGIAR's breeding efforts are focused on minimizing their impact. For example, researchers at CIMMYT in Mexico have identified genomic regionsthat confer resistance to Tar Spot Complex a disease affecting maize in 17 countries across the Americas. They are using these markers to breed Tar Spot Complex-resistant maize varieties.

Since 2016, fall armyworms have ravaged maize crops in over 60 countries across Africa and Asia. In response, starting in 2017, CIMMYT identified fall armyworms-tolerant maize lines and 90 public and private institutions to farmers in 34 countries.

CGIAR's breeding efforts extend beyond that, targeting essential crops for developing countries such as cowpea, beans, wheat, soybeans, and more, and aiming to develop improved varieties that are resistant to diseases, pests, and parasitic weeds.

Overall, 40% of CGIAR's breeding efforts, overseen by Accelerated Breeding, are focused on reducing agricultural production losses.

At the post-harvest and processing stages

Significant food loss and waste also occur during post-harvest and processing in developing countries, where poor infrastructure and lack of storage and processing facilities exacerbate spoilage.

A key example is cassava, a staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cassava roots are highly perishable, often deteriorating within 24 hours of harvest, which limits their marketability and processing potential. In Nigeria, cassava must be processed into products like gari, fufu, and lafun immediately after harvest. But poor road infrastructure can prevent farmers from transporting cassava to processing facilities in time, leading to significant losses.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture(IITA) is working on reducing post-harvest physiological deterioration in cassava. Dr. Ismail Rabbi, Cassava Lead Breeder at IITA, explains:"In Nigeria, cassava is mostly consumed as processed products. If farmers can't process or sell the crop to processors within a couple of days, it's wasted."

With funding from Germany through Crops to End Hunger, IITA's new cassava breeding facility is enabling systematic screening of breeding germplasm to better understand and reduce cassava post-harvest physiological deterioration. By identifying individuals that show delayed deterioration, breeders aim to develop cassava varieties with an extended shelf life.

At the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, Dr. Winnie Gimode is leading research to understand the genetic complexity of post-harvest physiological deterioration in cassava. Her team dissects its genetic basis using advanced tools like sequencing and metabolite profiling, which will help guide trait deployment strategies in CGIAR and partners' cassava breeding programs.

"We have not yet fully mainstreamed post-harvest physiological deterioration tolerance into our boiled cassava breeding pipelines, but we are actively making crosses with materials that show improved shelf life, including tolerance derived from Manihot walkerae, a wild relative of cassava from Northern Mexico and the Southeastern United States", Gimode explains.

Phenotyping root slices for post-harvest physiological deterioration (PPD) symptoms: A key step in identifying cassava varieties with improved shelf life. Credit: Alliance Bioversity.

Additionally, the breeding program is engaged in germplasm exchange activities with global partners, sending botanical seed from crosses between parents that exhibit superior cooking quality, low cyanide, and improved shelf life.

The ultimate goal, Rabbi notes, is to breed cassava varieties that can withstand post-harvest physiological deterioration for up to a week. "This would revolutionize industry and improve the livelihoods of millions", he adds.

Reducing food loss and waste at both the production and post-harvest stages is crucial to tackle food insecurity, particularly in developing countries. Through its global breeding programs, guided by Accelerated Breeding, CGIAR is addressing both abiotic and biotic stresses while enhancing the shelf life of staple crops like cassava. By targeting these key challenges, CGIAR's efforts are combating food loss and waste, fostering more sustainable food systems, benefiting farmers, consumers, and the environment.

From left to right: Ismail Rabbi (IITA), Sean Fenstemaker (Alliance Bioversity) and Elizabeth Parkes (IITA), CGIAR breeding team working on cassava post-harvest physiological deterioration.

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Written by Julie Puech, Accelerated Breeding & Breeding Resources communications. Main image: Cassava roots being processed at IITA's new cassava breeding facility in Nigeria. Credit: IITA.We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the generous supporters of Crops to End Hunger, with special recognition to GIZ. We also express our gratitude to the CGIAR research funders for their invaluable contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund.

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