SAVE FOOD SUCCESSES: the Mango Project.

Mangoes that cannot satisfy hunger
Food and especially fruit exports are one of the most important sources of revenue in Kenya. Looking at the figures one thing becomes clear: in southern Africa alone some 50% of the fruit and vegetables grown perish during production, storage, transport or processing and therefore never end up on the market. For the farmers, whose existence depends on selling these products, these are unacceptable conditions.

Take the example of mangoes. Approximately 300,000 tons of the mangoes grown in Kenya never make it to market. Plenty of fruit already spoils on the tree since farmers lack the resources to harvest it on time; a major proportion also gets lost during the following steps because fruit is stored poorly or for too long, is not processed quickly enough or is transported with poor protection and/or in an untimely manner. In view of the enormous poverty in the country these are untenable conditions.

According to data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), up to 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted on a global scale every year. This food spoils on its way from field to fork, does not comply with standards and is therefore disposed of as unsaleable or is simply not consumed in time. These are shocking figures that constitute a major problem, not only in the view of the Food and Agricultural Organisation, but also because the food wasted produces some 3.3 gigatons of CO2 emissions every year.