Major Stakeholders Co-Create Unifying Strategy to Address Post-Harvest Loss in Nigeria

WASHINGTON D.C., January 13, 2017 /3BL Media/ - Major stakeholders in the Nigerian tomato value chain came together from across the globe for the first-ever YieldWise Partner Planning Session last month. YieldWise, a $130 million dollar initiative launched in 2016 by The Rockefeller Foundation, seeks to demonstrate how the world can halve food loss by 2030, one of the UN’s Global Goals.

The 22 partners in attendance included international and Nigerian non-government organizations, government representatives from Kano and neighboring states, input providers, agro-technology manufacturers, domestic processors and other large-scale tomato buyers. PYXERA Global, implementing partner of the $6 million dollar YieldWise initiative in Kano, Nigeria facilitated this convening so that all of the major players in the tomato value chain could discuss and align individual program and business plans to develop a single overarching strategy to address post-harvest loss in northern Nigeria.

“Collectively, these organizations are investing millions of dollars each year in the tomato value chain in Nigeria, and this session provided a platform for them to align those resources to maximize impact,” said Maggie DeLorme, Senior Program Manager at PYXERA Global who led the session. “This is the first time all of these stakeholders have been around the same table at the same time. The fact that 22 different organizations and companies from across sectors attended this session is a testament to how serious of an issue post-harvest loss for tomatoes is in this region, and to the tangibility of the solutions at-hand.”

There are three YieldWise post-harvest loss pilots in Sub-Saharan Africa, and PYXERA Global implements the initiative in Nigeria focusing specifically on loss along the tomato value chain. The initiative targets major contributors to loss in the areas of farmer aggregation and training, market linkages, access to finance, access to post-harvest loss mitigating technologies, and the enabling environment.

“We also encouraged attendees to put aside competitive differences and aim for collaboration and sustained conversation in order to continue to get the most impact from collective efforts,” said Adam Suleiman, Project Director for PYXERA Global in Kano. “The session focused on ensuring efforts were not being duplicated or undermined by organizations working within the tomato value chain, while supporting the achievement of individual organizational targets and objectives.”

The session enabled attendees to share work plans, specific activity targets and approaches, and discuss opportunities and challenges associated with implementation in an open and collaborative way. While not all attendees are direct partners of the YieldWise initiative, they are all engaged in activities aimed at reducing post-harvest loss in the region and with the goal of strengthening and diversifying the tomato value chain. Following this first session, attendees will be participating in quarterly working group meetings to continue the spirit of collaboration and collective impact.

PYXERA Global is continuing the post-harvest loss discussion at its Global Engagement Forum: Live on April 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C. This interactive forum will bring together leaders, innovators, and resources to collaborate on three solvable problems: post-harvest loss, preventable diseases, and youth employability.

Click here to request your invitation to this invite-only event.

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About PYXERA Global
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Join Solving the Solvable: PYXERA Global Engagement Forum Live on April 4-5, 2017 in Washington, D.C. to connect with leaders focusing on key solvable problems within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).

For more than 25 years, PYXERA Global has leveraged the unique strengths of corporations, governments, social sector organizations, educational institutions, and individuals to enhance the abilities of people and communities to solve complex problems and attain mutually beneficial goals.

The PYXERA Global team is passionate and dedicated to navigating challenges and pinpointing purposeful global engagement opportunities for its clients and partners. Initiatives include a wide range of services from local content development to global pro bono programs and integrated community development efforts that transform lives and livelihoods.

Contact: Katie Levey
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klevey@pyxeraglobal.org
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