Food losses occur at all stages of the food supply chain. Food losses are often the result of a lack of communication or miscommunication between relevant supply chain actors. For instance, a large retailer may reduce an order at the eleventh hour, resulting in significant losses being generated at the processing stage of the value chain. Mobile phones and other portable devices represent a potential solution to such problems. Increased effective communication can better connect producers, processors, distributors and retailers and consequently ensure that supply and demand are in equilibrium.
Mobile phones are extremely useful at the producer level also. They enable communication between farmers, extension services, processors, buyers, etc. For example, mobile phones would facilitate the convenient farmer to farmer communication. This may enable said farmers to agree on a harvesting calendar. Such a calendar would prevent the market from becoming saturated with a particular product, enabling all farmers to get a good price for their produce. Additionally, mobile devices could enable farmers to receive important data on things like weather and pest forecasts. This would enable farmers to make potentially loss-avoiding adjustments to their methods of production. Mobile devices also have the potential to facilitate the rapid dissemination of advice from extension agents, thereby streamlining the extension sector.
An analysis of the potential of mobile phones to reduce food losses produced encouraging results. Bahadur KC et al. (2016) utilised a statistical approach to identify and quantify the importance of different socioeconomic and technological variables in determining food loss in low income countries. A statistical analysis was conducted to establish the association between the number of mobile phones and the level of food loss. Additionally, the analysis also helped quantify the potential of the different variables to reduce food loss. The results showed that the development of telecommunication networks was the strongest predictor of food loss. Furthermore, telecommunications showed the greatest potential for reducing losses. This study was somewhat limited, yet it still shows that mobile devices and telecommunications have massive potential to reduce food losses in developing countries.
For more information on the role of mobile phones check out the articles below:
Bahadur KC, K., Haque, I., Legwegoh, A., & Fraser, E. (2016). Strategies to Reduce Food Loss in the Global South. Sustainability, 8(7), 595.
FAO. (2013). Toolkit-Reducing the Food Wastage Footprint. Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, Rome.
Vodafone, Accenture, & Oxfam. (2011). Connected Agriculture. Vodafone, 42.